Wednesday Journal 082521

W E D N E S D A Y

August 25, 2021 Vol. 42, No. 4 ONE DOLLAR @oakpark @wednesdayjournal

JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest

Special section inside

Commercial taxes on rise in Oak Park, River Forest Median commercial tax up 27% in River Forest, while Oak Park has 6th-highest total commercial tax bill

By MICHAEL ROMAIN Equity Editor

A new report by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas found that Oak Park ranks in the top 10 suburbs that experienced the biggest percentage increase in total commercial property taxes.

For the 2020 tax year, Oak Park stands to collect $54.2 million in total commercial taxes, an increase of 20% over the 2019 tax year, when the village collected $45.1 million in total commercial tax revenue, according to the study.

That ranks Oak Park sixth in a group of highly taxed, predominantly Black and

Brown suburbs like Ford Heights, Posen, Park Forest and Flossmoor.

When median commercial property taxes are considered, however, River Forest saw a much sharper increase than Oak Park. Oak Park’s median commercial property tax bill for the 2020 tax year rose by 12%, going from $22,815 in 2019 to $25,626.

GOOSE CHASER

In River Forest, the total commercial tax revenue collected for 2020 was $5.8 million, up 13% over 2019.

The report found a more modest increase in residential property taxes in Oak Park and River Forest. In Oak Park, the median See COMMERCIAL TAXES on page 15

New state data jumps Oak Park vaccination rate Oak Park was previously not privy to federal vaccination clinic figures

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

Jon DiLorenzo, a brewer with Goose Island, offers a sample of Pineapple Shakedown, Saturday, during the annual Micro Brew Review on Marion Street in Downtown Oak Park.

Confusion and even anger have swelled recently in the Oak Park community over a perceived discrepancy in reporting COVID-19 vaccination rates from the village’s public health department. As residents have taken to social media to air their grievances and demand accountability as to why the village has seemingly underreported the number of inoculated residents, Oak Park Public Health Director Theresa Chapple-McGruder has a relatively simple explanation: The abrupt and substantial increase in the posted vaccination rate is the result of newly acquired data from the state, which the local health department was not privy to until its public issuance.

See VACCINATION on page 15

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Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

‘Suitcase killer’ Heather Mack to be released in October Out of prison three years early

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Former Oak Park resident Heather Mack, convicted at the age of 19 of killing her mother and stuffing the body in a suitcase while in Bali, is set to be released three years early from Bali’s Kerobokan Prison for good behavior, according to reports from multiple news sources, including the Daily Mail and Agence France-Presse company.

Mack’s United States-based attorney Vanessa Favia confirmed to NBC 5 her client will be released in October, while the Daily Mail reported the Indonesian government intends to deport Mack once she is released.

“Heather’s doing really well. She’s nervous and excited about the prospect of getting out very soon,” Favia said in the NBC5 story.

She had received a prison term of 10 years in 2015 for the murder of her mother, 62-year-old Sheila von Wiese-Mack, of Oak Park, while vacationing in Indonesia with Mack’s 19-year-old boyfriend Tommy Schaefer. Schaefer, also of Oak Park, was given an 18-year sentence, while Mack, pregnant at the time, received a lesser charge of assisting in the murder.

The life of von Wiese-Mack ended gruesomely in 2014, with Schaefer beating her to death with a fruit bowl during an argument at the luxury St. Regis resort in Bali. Her body was stuffed in a suitcase, which Mack and Schaefer abandoned in a taxi before fleeing to another part of Bali where they were subsequently arrested by police.

FILE

Heather Mack, Tommy Schaefer and Sheila Von Wiese Mack Mack gave birth to her daughter Stella while in prison.

Stella, now 5, spent the first two years of her life in prison with her mother before moving in with a foster family. Favia told NBC 5 Mack is considering returning to Chicago with Stella but has not made any final decisions.

“Being a mother has changed her drastically,” Favia said in the newscast. “I think she’s going to come back with a new

lease on life and definitely [be] a better person all around.”

In a statement to NBC5, Bill Wiese, Mack’s uncle and the brother of Sheila von Wiese-Mack, said that he has not had any personal contact with Mack and does not wish to. Weise called Mack’s original 10-year sentence a “travesty of justice,” but his family hopes Stella “can be raised in a safe and loving environment.”

Do you live in Oak Park, River Forest or Proviso Township and need to schedule a mammogram?

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During the month of October, women who live in these communities can receive a screening mammogram for no cost at Rush Oak Park Hospital.*

Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

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About those property taxes …

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ast week, a report on property taxes by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas found that the predominantly Black and Brown suburbs of Berkeley, Bellwood, Broadview, Hillside, Maywood and Stone Park were all ranked among the top 12 suburbs in the county that experienced the biggest increases in their median residential property tax bill for the 2020 tax year.

The increases among the six ranged from a low of $1,040 in Broadview to a high of $1,868 in Bellwood. In Maywood, where I live, the median property tax bill shot up by $1,543.

In Oak Park and River Forest, by comparison, the median tax increase for residential properties was $249 and $305, respectively, according to the Pappas study.

At a meeting in Hillside on Aug. 23, Joe Tamburino, the village’s mayor, found himself transformed into a regular citizen during public Commentary comment.

The taxes on his humble house went up by $2,000, he said, in response to a citizen who had complained to him about their own tax bill.

The current property tax crisis got me thinking about reporting I did on this issue five years ago, a significant portion of which I’ve reproduced for this column.

“Middle-class Blacks are being robbed when they live in segregated black neighborhoods,” said Daniel Lauber, a River Forest-based fair housing and zoning attorney and former senior village planner in Oak Park, at a town hall meeting on integration held at the Oak Park Public Library in 2016.

“They are not achieving a level of wealth that can be achieved in white neighborhoods,” Lauber said. “It’s a tragedy that a huge portion of the Black middle class is being robbed of full middle-class status (and) of participating in the American Dream.”

In 1966, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., came to Chicago after being invited by local activists who had pitched their own civil rights battles against racism and discrimination in the city’s schools, police department and housing market.

That last area would dominate the attention of what became known as the Chicago Freedom Movement — an alliance launched in 1966 between King’s Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and an array of Chicagobased activists like school teacher Al Raby and Jesse Jackson Sr. In the summer of 1966, the group conducted a series of marches and demonstrations throughout Chicago. They were stoned, spat upon and insulted by the white residents of the areas through which they marched.

King even famously moved into a slum apartment unit in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood to publicize the subpar living conditions in which most of the city’s African Americans suffered.

The demands included calls for real estate listings to “be available on a nondiscriminatory basis,” for a “program to rehabilitate present public housing,” and a program “to increase vastly the supply of low-cost housing on a scattered basis for both low and middle income families.”

The Chicago Freedom Movement disbanded in 1967, marking what has been largely considered a failure by

MICHAEL ROMAIN

SOURCE: COOK COUNTY TREASURER | Chart created by Village Free Press

many observers of the period. But that consensus has slowly changed as many historians and policy experts take stock of some of the movement’s successes, such as its critical role in the passage of the Fair Housing Act of 1968, which outlawed discriminatory real estate practices.

That piece of federal legislation is a big reason why Maywood integrated. That most local, state and government officials failed to actively enforce its dictates, and to be proactive about realizing its ideals, is why Maywood became largely segregated, and why it suffers from high property taxes and a depleted capacity to serve its citizens, say some local housing experts.

In the 1990s, Lauber published a study exploring the dynamics behind the transformation of all-white neighborhoods into all-Black neighborhoods within a matter of a few decades.

Since 1968, suburbs like Maywood and Bellwood “have experienced either block-by-block resegregation or scattered black in-migration,” Lauber wrote in “Ending American Apartheid: How Cities Achieve and Maintain Racial Diversity.”

“Until the passage of civil rights and fair housing legislation in the 1960s,” Lauber explained, it wasn’t illegal for realtors to outright refuse to service blacks looking for housing or for banks to simply deny them mortgages.

“It was not unlawful to discriminate on the basis of race in the sale or rental of housing,” he adds. “Restrictive covenants in property deeds that prohibited the transfer of property to blacks or Jews were enforceable until the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1948 that the courts and government could not enforce them.”

Back then, discrimination in lending and real estate was considered normal, even natural, with Blacks and other minority consumers confined to very specific geographic areas “while the rest of the market was open only to whites.”

After outright discrimination was outlawed, more subtle forms of discrimination began to replace it. The dominant means of maintaining segregation became what’s called “racial steering.”

That’s the practice of steering white homebuyers to allwhite communities, or areas within a community, while steering Blacks into integrated, or all-Black, communities or areas in a community.

The driving force behind racial steering, Lauber notes, were attitudes often coded into seemingly harmless language and social cues. For instance, to this day, many Oak Park residents disparage living “East of Ridgeland,” because that means one lives in the less desirable part of the village — the part closest to the all-Black West Side of Chicago, local housing experts say.

What’s now often called “white flight” was driven by just these seemingly harmless social cues that, when decoded,

often translated into racist attitudes that equated Blackness, or the proximity to Black people, with criminality and lower property values.

It was a given, Lauber noted, for real estate agents to explain with straight faces that property values often decrease when Blacks move into neighborhoods. The resulting re-segregation was explored in a 1981 Chicago Tribune article.

“Acute turnover of white to black occurred in Bellwood, Broadview, Maywood, Calumet Park, Harvey, and Markham,” the Tribune reported.

Between 1970 and 1980, according to U.S. Census Bureau data, Maywood’s population went from roughly 41% Black to 75% Black. During those 10 years, Bellwood went from less than 1% Black to more than 35% Black. Broadview went from less than 5% Black to around 30% Black.

Today, Maywood and Bellwood are around 82% Black and Broadview is around 73% Black. Not coincidentally, within the last 30 years, those suburbs have figured prominently in the Tribune’s archives among stories detailing murder, government corruption and poverty.

In 2016, I spoke to Rob Breymaier, the former executive director of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center, about these changes. He cautioned against making hasty reductions regarding the relationship between rapid racial turnover and the bad news headlines.

“Those suburbs ended up being all-Black because of white flight,” Breymaier said. “It isn’t just the movement of homeowners out of the community, it’s a lot of investment. We’re talking about a loss of taxes and property value. And after [this precipitous loss of value], those communities are then asked to keep up with this same level of services with less fiscal capacity to do so, which is extremely unfair, and they get blamed for not accomplishing this.”

Lauber, in his study, cited research that found that “anticipation of wholesale racial change causes the economic base to pull out of neighborhoods.’

“This divestment by the business community,” he writes, “reflects its self-fulfilling prophecy that the newly Black community cannot support many of the businesses that [had] long been located in the community. Consequently, the municipality’s tax base shrinks from the loss of business and employment in the expanded ghetto.”

Breymaier added that the reality of how all-Black suburbs actually operate with depleted resources could be counterintuitive, even to the general perception among the residents who live in those communities.

“The reality is that those places are probably doing more, pound for pound, than many wealthy places are in trying to [service residents],” he said. “In a place like Maywood, the real issue is that we’re not considering its real value. Racism is getting in the way of us considering its real value.”

CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

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Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

BIG WEEK Aug. 25-Sept.1 Sideyard Sounds Friday, Aug. 27, 7:30 p.m., Compound Yellow See Dan Sullivan and Rob Bochnik performing as NadNavillus with an opening performance

by Madeleine Aguilar. $15.

Tickets/more (or pay with cash or Venmo at the door): compoundyellow.com/events.

244 Lake St., Oak Park.

JAIME CLAY

East of Ridgeland Blocks Party Saturday, Aug. 28, north-south corridor East of Ridgeland

Sunday, Aug. 29, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Scoville Park

Save the date for a day of music, art, puppet performance, food, and great company with the First Annual East of Ridgeland Blocks Party. Musical performances by Sinner’s Friend, Jody Walker, and the Paul Ashford band. This event is a neighborhood undertaking welcoming all of the families, businesses and organizations that don’t have their own village block parties, to come together and celebrate our community. Food and beverages will be available with garden tours, musical performances, and artists working throughout the day.

Enjoy family-friendly music, courtesy of the Park District of Oak Park.

Grab a blanket, pack a picnic and listen to the final concert of the season, with soulful blues and R&B vocals. Free. Drop-in event. Lake St. and Oak Park Ave. More: pdop.org/events/summer-concerts

Fourth Annual Food Truck Rally

Rick King at Anfora Wine Merchants Friday, Aug. 27, 5-7 p.m., 128 S. Marion St. Rick King is back with the Royal Hustle Duo. Patio seating reservations are accepted with a $5 cover charge/per person. Any remaining available seats are first-come, first-served.

Concerts in the Park – Jaime Clay

Keystone Park West, Saturday, Aug. 28, 3:30 to 8:30 p.m., River Forest The Rotary Club of Oak Park-River Forest will hold its 4th Annual Food Truck Rally featuring eight food trucks plus a craft beer tent. There will also be a Family Area, including inflatables. The event is co-sponsored by the village of River Forest and River Forest Park District. Food trucks in attendance will be CheSa Gluten Tootin’ Free, Decadent Flavor (Donuts & Funnel Cakes), Gelato D’Oro (Gelato), Mae’s Que House (BBQ), Mamalicious Jerk & Curry, Mario’s Cart (Tacos), My Funnel Cake (Funnel Cakes), PierogiWagon, Tamale Spaceship. The beer tent will feature craft beers from Kinslahger Brewing Company, Wild Onion Tied House, Oak Park Brewing Company, One Lake Brewing, Exit Strategy Brewing Company, and Flapjack Brewery. Wine from Cooper’s Hawk Winery will also be served. Musical performances from The School of Rock Oak Park Show Team, Brian Lupo Band, and Sons of Chicago will take place throughout the day, starting at 3:30 p.m. The Family area in Keystone Park West is open 3:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Closing Reception and Community Procession Sunday, Aug. 29, 2 to 5 p.m., Compound Yellow Celebrate Regin Iglorias’ Takeover Residency with a gathering including studio visits with an interactive skateboard design station; a community procession of skateboards, trailers and other wheeled contraptions developed during the summer ridden to Stevenson Skate Park; and a performance by puppeteer Sam Lewis (3 p.m.). 244 Lake St., Oak Park.

Taste of Uncorked Friday, Aug. 27, 6 to 8 p.m., Rubinstein Garden, Oak Park Conservatory Enjoy music and drinks outdoors while celebrating Friends of the Oak Park Conservatory’s 35th anniversary.

James Robinson-Parran provides the entertainment; local beverage sponsors are Anfora Wine Merchants and Wild Onion Tied House. Held the fourth Friday each month. $15, includes two drink tickets. 21+. Register: pdop.org.

615 Garfield St., Oak Park.

Namaste and Stay Awhile Friday, Aug. 27, 6 to 9:30 p.m., Thatcher Woods Pavilion, 8030 Chicago Ave., River Forest Join the Sarah’s Inn Associate Board for the opportunity to reconnect in person. The evening will begin with yoga (optional) and continue with food, drinks, and mingling.

Whether you are a yogi or not, take a break from the week and come join us for this opportunity to show support and raise awareness for Sarah’s Inn. Tickets are $40/ person and are available online.

Grief Journaling Workshop Sunday, Aug. 29, 2 to 4 p.m., Zoom with the Oak Park Public Library For those experiencing the loss of a loved one, you are invited to try journaling. Session begins with prompts followed by time to journal. At the end, there is time to share (optional). Resources for writing, grief, where to get help and more are provided. Feel free to attend any or all sessions. Register: oppl.org/calendar

Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

5

Weddings break out all over

O

dds and ends with some a bit odder than others: There’s also Tommy Schaefer: You have to start with the brutality of the murder of Sheila von Weise-Mack. The 62-year-old Oak Parker was on vacation in Bali, Indonesia in 2014 with her daughter Heather Mack and Mack’s boyfriend Tommy Schaefer.

She died from blunt trauma, her body was somehow stuffed in a suitcase, which Mack and Schaefer wheeled to a waiting cab. They left the suitcase in the cab as they sought to disappear in another Bali neighborhood. They were, of course, soon arrested.

The murder was as chaotic, intense and out of control as the lives Mack and her mother played out for years in their East Avenue home. Dozens of police reports documented the battles — emotional and physical — that the two went through as Mack moved into her teenage years.

Into this toxicity walked Tommy Schaefer, also an Oak Parker. Needy and unconnected, Schaefer was absorbed into the maelstrom.

Ultimately, he was charged with the murder of Sheila von Weise-Mack. He was convicted, sentenced to 18 years in an Indonesian prison.

Now we are drawn to the tabloid-like coverage of news that Heather Mack will soon gain early release from prison based on good behavior. Will she come back to Chicago?

Conflicting reports on whether her 5-year-old daughter Stella, born in prison, will come with her or stay with a foster family which has raised her over recent years.

We can’t take our eyes off this disturbing story. I get it. But for a moment we should think of Schaeffer. Still in jail, no early release imminent. Yes, he committed a vicious crime. No question. Yet he is most certainly a victim in this incomprehensibly dysfunctional family tale.

Two weddings and a …: Head out into

the neighborhoods on a Saturday afternoon and you never know what you will discover. It is the magic of being a reporter in a small town.

Last Saturday, Melissa Elsmo, our Oak Park Eats editor, took in the revived Micro Brew Review event in downtown Oak Park. She was there for the beer and also to see how a COVID-mitigated public event looks. Vaccination cards were required, or an on-the-spot COVID test administered, for those who wanted in on the Seven Generations Ahead fun.

Didn’t expect a wedding to break out. But it fabulously did.

Same afternoon, Jill Wagner, our reader engagement manager, continued to resurrect an early Wednesday Journal tradition we called Block Party Pix. For years back in the ’90s, we’d wangle an invite to a block party, gather everyone up, snap a photo and make friends when we published it in the paper.

Everything old and all that, Jill has revived this happy connection and on Saturday was invited to the 700 block of South Lombard where the bounce house and balloon toss gave way to nuptials for a longtime resident and his bride. The pair had been officially hitched at Unity Temple a few months ago, but their neighbors wanted in on the celebration.

That happy picture runs today on page 11.

You want the Journal at your block party?

Even if no one is getting married, connect with Jill at Jill@oakpark.com Big Fritz fan: Now that we’re a nonprofit, Wednesday Journal is out of the political endorsement business. So don’t take this as a personal endorsement. But it is gratifying to see Oak Parker Fritz Kaegi announce his bid for re-election as Cook County Assessor.

What a corrupt cesspool that office has been. The result has been a property tax system tilted to the rich and connected, while Black and Brown residents of the county paid too much.

Progress has been made. More work to do.

And an Oak Parker leading the way.

DAN HALEY

JOIN US! Heritage Chorale is recruiting singers for its

upcoming fall concert series. To schedule an audition, please email heritagechorale@gmail.com.

The Chorale’s fall concert series will feature music of South America, including the Misa Criolla by Ariel Ramírez, with performances scheduled for November 13 and 14. Rehearsals are in the Oak Park-Forest Park-River Forest area on Monday evenings, 7:30 to 9:30, beginning August 30. For more information, visit www.heritagechorale.com.

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Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

A beer, a wedding, a storm at Micro Brew Review

WHAT ALES YOU? Attendees dodge rain drops and try out local craft beers during the annual Micro Brew Review on Marion Street in Downtown Oak Park. | Photos by ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

Heavy rains couldn’t dampen the festive feeling at the 14th annual Oak Park Micro Brew Review benefitting Seven Generations Ahead. More than 40 breweries were on hand to serve craft beers to a crowd of 1,750 guests at the zero-waste beer fest.

The village of Oak Park provided on-site rapid Covid testing between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., enabling ticket holders unable to provide a negative COVID test or proof of vaccination, to be tested prior to entry.

“We were able to comply with the village’s safety protocols for the event, including showing proof of vaccination or negative COVID test results, making it a safe and enjoyable experience for all,” said Gary Cuneen, Seven Generations Ahead founder and executive director.

Event organizers were tipped off in advance that two long-time Micro Brew attendees had planned to be married at the event. Cuneen said the surprise wedding only added to the festive atmosphere. Even storms could not deter festival participants who gathered under tents and awnings to wait out the rain — soaked, but smiling attendees were seen darting out to refill their glasses.

“We were absolutely thrilled by the turnout, and participants raved about the event experience and thanked us profusely all day for making it happen and bringing about some sense of normalcy in these challenging times,” said Cuneen.

Melissa Elsmo

As COVID rises, new limits on Farmers Market start Saturday Local surge in COVID-19 cases prompts return to capacity limits and ‘no touch’ rules

By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

The Village of Oak Park experienced a 750% increase in COVID-19 cases in July 2021 as compared to June 2021 and numbers are continuing to rise. In response to the surge Dr. Theresa Chapple-McGruder, Oak Park’s public health director, issued a new health order impacting operations at the Oak Park Farmers Market beginning this Saturday, Aug. 21.

Most notably, capacity inside the weekly market will be capped at 390 people and maintain a ratio of 30 individuals per 1,000 square feet of open space.

The market entrance will be monitored, and customers will be expected to line up on the north side of Lake Street to gain admission. The line will be socially distanced and extend west on Lake Street; the line will turn onto the east side of Scoville as needed.

Masks are highly recommended for all marketgoers and the “no touch” policy has also been reinstated. Patrons will point to their produce before purchase rather than selecting it themselves.

Donuts will be sold from the same location with the seating area being reorganized to allow for more distance between tables. The market band will be relocated to the south lawn of Pilgrim Church once again.

There were no specific details regarding the market’s scheduled stone soup and pie bake off events included in the order, but the special events section stipulates “special events involving individuals touching items that have been touched by other special event participants are prohibited.”

The new order is set to stay in effect through the completion of the market season, but it will be reevaluated as needed and adjusted to be more or less restrictive based on changing data.

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

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Takeout 25 to launch as nonprofit at Barrie Fest Newly formed charity aims to raise funds at Barriefest

By MELISSA ELSMO

local food systems while continuing to come up with innovative ways to strengthen the local economy.

“Takeout 25 started out as 100% reactive to Takeout 25, the online initiative dedicated to supporting restaurants through the pan- the pandemic,” said Parakkat. “But now we demic, has teamed up with the South East are building on our successful support of local restaurants to become someOak Park Community Organizathing broader that is designed to tion (SEOPCO), Beyond Hunger outlive the pandemic.” and the Oak Park-River Forest To celebrate their new nonprofchapter of Clean Up Give Back it status, Takeout 25 plans to bring (CUGB) to launch Takeout 25 as an array of local food vendors to a not-for-profit. The event is set to Barriefest. Participants include be part of Barriefest on Sept. 11 Amerikas, Khyber Pass, Kalamafrom 12-5pm. ta Kitchen, Mora Asian Kitchen, “I am optimistic the event will Billy Bricks Woodgo forward,” said Ravi Parakkat, Takeout 25 founder and now an fired Pizza, CarOak Park village trustee. “Barnivore Oak Park, RAVI PARAKKAT riefest organizers are interfacing Ben’s Bar-Be-Cue, with the village about the event overall. We Happy Apple Pie Shop and Cafe are committed to following any and all proto- Cubano. cols the village puts in place to keep the comEach vendor will price their munity safe.” menu offerings at $8 and ticket As it stands, Parakkat is looking forward to booklets are on sale now to give an afternoon filled with food, music and fam- attendees access to vendors’ offerings. Each ily fun to inform the community about the $25 booklet contains three eight-dollar couexpanded mission of Takeout 25. The newly pons for use at Barriefest. The remaining formed nonprofit aims to address food inse- dollar will be donated to Beyond Hunger in curity, food waste and the sustainability of honor of Hunger Action Month.

Oak Park Eats Editor

“I could not be happier with the restaurants we have participating,” said Parakkat. “This is as great a representation of the diversity of tastes in our community as I could have hoped for and really shows off our local restaurants.”

Takeout 25 is also hoping to raise an additional $25,000 through T-shirt sales. To receive a branded Takeout 25 T-shirt interested parties are required to make donation of $25 or more by Sept.

2. Funds raised will be reserved to cover the startup costs for the young non-profit.

Representatives from Clean Up Give Back will be on site to educate the public about waste management and assist with recycling

at Barriefest. Representatives from Beyond Hunger will be onsite to bring awareness to food insecurity.

“All of these causes are integrated and interconnected,” said Parakkat. ”As we look to the future, Barrie Park, with its environmental reclamation efforts, is the perfect venue to represent the sustainability aspect of Takeout 25.”

The Takeout 25 launch event is being sponsored by Byline Bank, Carnival Grocery Oak Park, The Brown Cow, Scratch on Lake, Spilt Milk and Kettlestrings Tavern. Advanced purchasing is encouraged to help restaurants plan quantities accordingly. Ticket booklets and T-shirts are available for purchase at https://www.givesignup.org/TicketEvent/ Takeout25Launch

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Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

ResCorp offers scholarships to OPRF grads who live in their buildings

Two grads earn $2,000 scholarships

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

The Oak Park Residence Corporation (OPRC), the public-private nonprofit which owns and manages hundreds of Oak Park apartments which are home to people of all incomes, recently awarded two college-bound students $2,000 scholarships to young people who are residents of their buildings.

Charmir Akins and Josiah Turner, both of whom graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School in June, each received a $2,000 scholarship, which could quadruple if they attain a good academic standing at their

respective schools. The scholarship can be renewed for up to three years at a post-secondary education or vocational program, said David Pope, president of OPRC. Pope said Akins and Turner were each presented with their scholarships Aug. 4 during a small ceremony held outside at OPRF. “It was really wonderful to have the opportunity to recognize Josiah and Charmir,” Pope said, adding OPRC Chairman Wayne Pierce and OPRF District 200 Superintendent Greg Johnson were also in attendance. “We were fortunate to celebrate with them under a beautiful, sunny sky in front of the high school.”

Pope said Akins and Turner were the first winners of the newly created scholarship.

The scholarship, which was initiated in partnership with the Oak Park-River Forest Com-

munity Foundation, was open to high school seniors who live in an OPRC building.

Eligible candidates also had to be accepted by an accredited two-year or four-year college in the U.S. or other education programs, including vocational training. Applicants were asked to answer a series of questions, including ones that asked them to share the lessons they learned from a challenging experience and outline future career goals, Pope said.

“We’re very excited to be able to offer it and to be able to help support the further education of young people in Oak Park and young people who are residents of the OPRC buildings,” he said.

Akins plans on attending Triton College in River Grove in the fall where she looks to complete her general education courses

and pursue a degree in business or nursing, according to an OPRC press release. Turner will be heading to Ball State University in Indiana and studying architecture.

For Turner, being named one of OPRC’s first scholarship recipients was “really cool” and “an honor in and of itself.”

When asked about his dream to become an architect, the 18-year-old Turner looked back on his childhood and all the times where he played with Legos. Those were the moments that inspired him, on top of living in Oak Park, home to many of famed architect Frank Lloyd Wright’s creations.

“My mom and I would always watch the HGTV network and would see how the different people designed the houses, and I got very, very interested in that,” Turner said, opening up to share the roots of his goals.

Becktemba-Goss, OPRF student leader, inspires, perseveres Heading to Northwestern after key roles in school’s equity efforts

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter

When Talib Becktemba-Goss was an eighth-grader at Percy Julian Middle School, he created a program that matched high school students with third graders who struggled with reading. The program, Opportunity for All (OFA), was a steppingstone for Becktemba-Goss, now 18, who has worked since then to spotlight the need for diversity, equity and inclusion in education.

This summer, the Oak Park teen continued those efforts as a Bank of America Student Leader. Becktemba-Goss, a 2021 graduate of Oak Park and River Forest High School, was one of five students selected from a pool of 300 applicants to be part of the bank’s leadership program. Over the course of eight weeks, the college-bound Becktemba-Goss interned with the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago, where he helped launch a list of virtual activities for families and promoted the organization.

When asked to reflect on his internship, Becktemba-Goss spoke about the joy of being around other young adults like himself who were just as passionate about serving their communities.

“It just gives me a lot of hope for the future,” said Becktemba-Goss, an incoming freshman at Northwestern University.

For Becktemba-Goss, his work in education is personal. He grew up in Chicago’s

“Nothing is meant to be easy.

You have to fight for it. You have to fight for equity. It should be something that’s given, but it’s not.”

TALIB BECKTEMBAGOSS OPRF grad

North Lawndale neighborhood and moved to Oak Park when he was in the fifth grade.

To this day, he remembers seeing the growing disparity between the schools in his old neighborhood and his new one and how they impacted students of color, especially Black students.

“Oak Park is much more well-funded and diversified than a lot of these Chicago Public Schools,” said Becktemba-Goss, adding his mother, a decades long public school teacher and principal of a charter school in Chicago, also served as his inspiration to view education through a different lens.

“So, I was able to see the discrepancies, the inequalities.”

Even as a middle schooler, BecktembaGoss wanted to step up and help students in need, which was why he created Opportunity for All – and never stopped.

Throughout the years, he partnered with local parent teacher organizations to secure funding for books for his reading program.

Becktemba-Goss said he wanted children to be excited about reading and felt that giving them books that represented their family, culture and traditions could be a way.

“I noticed that a lot of times kids were reading materials where they don’t have a protagonist that’s Black,” he said. “You don’t see a protagonist that’s Asian. You don’t see a protagonist that’s Native American. [Those books were] really important to get into the hands of kids, so they can understand what they can be and what they should be aspiring to be.”

He also expanded his advocacy for literacy by setting up a handful of Free Little Libraries in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.

While a student at OPRF, Becktemba-Goss co-chaired the Student Leaders Advisory Committee and was an active member of the school’s Culture Climate and Behavior Committee and the Racial Equity Procedure Development Team. In those roles, he helped lead the conversation with other students, staff and administration on important is-

sues, including diversity hiring and hate crimes, according to a press release issued by the Bank of America Leaders program.

He also lent a hand in crafting the school district’s first racial equity policy, the release stated.

Becktemba-Goss was also on the Illinois State Board of Education’s student advisory council and addressed issues on equity in education with political leaders.

As Becktemba-Goss thought back to his time at OPRF and his seat on several committees, he credited Joylynn Pruitt-Adams, former superintendent at OPRF District 200, who taught him to never give up, speak up and stand up.

“Nothing is meant to be easy,” he said of a lesson he learned from Pruitt-Adams.

“You have to fight for it. You have to fight for equity. It should be something that’s given, but it’s not. She taught me that you have to persevere. She also told me that you have to hold out hope.”

With the Bank of America Student Leaders program now over and summer winding down, Becktemba-Goss looked back on the moments that have fueled his own fight for the voiceless.

“In eighth grade, you can’t really have a full sense of what this actually means in the real world, of what educational equity means,” he said. “You can hear about these different statistics, but when you actually see in person, like when I’m in my AP classes and I don’t have another Black kid in my classes …, that’s when you’re actually feeling those [statistics].

“Growing up and being able to experience those, it just makes it so real. It makes the fight really come to you.”

Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

A step closer as Oak Park committee eyes recruiter for manager Village board to make final decision

By STACEY SHERIDAN

file” portion of GovHR’s proposal. The electronic file includes candidate credentials, sets of interview questions with room for The village of Oak Park’s Personnel Com- notetaking and evaluation sheets to assist in mittee has chosen GovHR as the recruitment assessing candidates’ skills and abilities. firm to carry out the search for the open vil“I think that’s going to be a nice feature,” lage manager position. The decision was Robinson said. made during the committee’s Aug. 19 meetRobinson mentioned the two additional sering, during which the committee interviewed vices available in GovHR’s proposal: leaderrepresentatives from the three firms in con- ship personality testing and a “post-hire 360 sideration: GovHR, Baker Tilly and Slavin evaluation piece.”

Management.

The latter of the two “addWhile the committee deemed ons” Robinson believes will all three firms qualified, they provide the village with “a very were united in their preferencfull-service level of assistance es for GovHR. Slavin impressed to bringing on a totally brandthe committee as well. Howevnew village manager.” er, GovHR’s focus on diversity She noted that Baker Tilly, in recruitment gave it the edge the first firm interviewed, also over Slavin. offered leadership personality “Both of those are my numtesting in its proposal. Baker ber one and number two,” said Tilly’s interview had an unTrustee Jim Taglia, who sits on steady start due to initial techthe committee. nological issues.

Along with Taglia, the com“I’m sorry I’m a little discommittee is comprised of Trustbobulated. I was prepared with ees Chibuike Enyia and Lucia my presentation and I’m tryRobinson. Village President ing to get back on track,” said Vicki Scaman serves as the Baker Tilly’s Art Davis. committee’s chair. While TrustWhile explaining that Baker LUCIA ROBINSON ee Ravi Parakkat attended the Village Trustee Tilly has 30 years of experimeeting and was granted the ence in municipal recruiting, opportunity to ask questions, Davis had another mix-up. only committee members could “I believe the two positions vote. you are looking to fill are po“I like the focus on diversity and inclulice chief and public works director, if I’m sion,” said Taglia of GovHR. While he called all three contenders “excel- not mistaken,” Davis told the committee.

As he began to recount Baker Tilly’s exlent,” Taglia told his board colleagues he was perience in recruiting police chiefs and pubimpressed with GovHR’s approach to comlic works directors, Village President Vicki munity engagement. The firm’s community Scaman politely interjected. engagement model utilizes a combination of “I hate to interrupt you, but this meeting public meetings and electronic information is discussing the recruitment of a village gathering. GovHR intends to hold a series of manager position,” said Scaman. seven public meetings with different commuHe quickly apologized for the stumble. nity stakeholders and disseminate a commu“Oh, I’m sorry,” said Davis. “I prepared nity-wide survey. The firm also proposed creating a dedicated email address so residents the proposal and I know that.”

Enyia found the three firms “all super can send their comments directly.

For Robinson, GovHR stood out from the qualified,” but favored GovHR for its very rest because of its significant experience in diverse leadership and prior experience Oak Park-based recruitment, as well as for working in Oak Park. He felt those two qualhaving a number of staff members that pre- ities leant the firm a greater understanding of the community and its needs. viously held government positions.

The Personnel Committee voted unani“They seem to just have a really solid understanding of Oak Park and the industry,” mously to recommend the village board hire the trustee said. “I thought they would bring GovHR to conduct its village manager rea really nice balance between those two to cruitment. A vote from the full village board will ultimately dictate whether the village this process.”

She was also impressed by the “electronic will move forward with GovHR. Staff Reporter

“They seem to just have a really solid understanding of Oak Park and the industry. I thought they would bring a really nice balance between those two to this process.”

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Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

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D97 school board vice president resigns Jeremy Duffy, an education attorney and former teacher, is stepping down

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formation about the application and interview process will be shared with the community by Aug. 31, the email stated.

Siegfried said the board plans to set a deadline for the applications once they are released, vetting for candidates and interviewing them soon after.

By F. AMANDA TUGADE Staff Reporter Those who are interested in applying to become a District 97 school board member Jeremy Duffy, vice president of the Oak should meet the following criteria: They Park Elementary District 97 school board, must be 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, an Ilis leaving his post for a “new professional linois resident and a registered voter. Canopportunity,” according to an email an- didates must have lived in Oak Park for nouncement sent to district “at least one year immediately staff and families Aug. 17. preceding the appointment,” Duffy, was recently hired to the board policy stated. Candibecome a legal officer for the dates are considered ineligible Illinois State Board of Educafor the role, if they are a sex oftion (ISBE). Sometime over the fender, hold an “incompatible” weekend leading up to Aug. 17, or “certain types of state or Duffy notified the board about federal employment,” the polhis decision to step down, said icy also stated. For a complete Amanda Siegfried, the disoutline of D97’s board policy, trict’s senior director of comvisit https://www.op97.org/ munications.

JEREMY DUFFY boe/policies.

In an email to Wednesday The appointed individual is Journal, Duffy said he is unexpected to serve on the board until the able to share more information about his next election cycle in April 2023. “At that new role at ISBE and job responsibilities. time, an individual will be elected to serve An attempt to contact ISBE on Aug. 21 was the remaining two years of the unexpired unsuccessful.

In April, Duffy, a first-time candidate, term,” the email explained. Siegfried said was elected to the school board. Duffy, that a vice president will be named at a fuwhose career in education ranges from ture public board meeting.

In the email, board President Jung Kim teacher to attorney, has played a crucial shared her thoughts on Duffy’s departure. role in the district and offered “valuable “On behalf of the board, I want to thank expertise on a number of important isJeremy for his dedicated service to District sues,” namely the superintendent search and reopening plan, the email stated. 97 and the Oak Park community, particularly as we navigated the many challenges Duffy’s resignation takes effect Aug. 31.

The board has 60 days to fill the vacancy presented by the COVID-19 pandemic,” upon receiving a resignation, according to Kim said. “Although we are disappointed its policy and state law. “The clock, I be- to be losing a valued member of our team, we are sincerely happy for our friend and lieve, is officially ticking,” Siegfried said.

Board members are currently reviewing colleague, and wish him nothing but the the next steps to start the search. More in- best.”

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Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

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Wedding on the Block

PHOTOS BY JILL WAGNER

The 700 block of south Lombard surprised 30-year block veteran Larry and his wife, Pauline, with a fully planned wedding, block-party style, this weekend. The newlyweds formally tied the knot in April, but the 700 block recreated the event with neighbors filling in as chaplain, bridesmaids, groomsmen, flower girls, ring bearers, servers and even remembering to have the groom stomp on a glass, thanks to 700 block neighbor Ramona Range. Wednesday Journal has been sending staff out to local block parties and featuring a photo each week.

Contact jill@oakpark.com to schedule your block party visit.

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"The accolades West Suburban receives for quality health care services are well-deserved."

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For more information about clinical services at West Suburban Medical Center, visit www.westsuburbanmc.com

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Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

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Oak Park gets Festive New boutique opens Saturday in Hemingway District

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

A new boutique hopes to bringin cheer and creativity to Oak Park’s Hemingway District. Festive Collective, 159 S. Oak Park Ave., is not the average party supply and stationery store. Utterly devoid of the gauche associated with such retailers, Festive Collective immerses shoppers in a vibrant welcoming atmosphere while offering a curated array of modern but nostalgic products.

“We really try to source artists from all over the world who work in really bright colors and just have an optimistic outlook,” said founder Angela Wator, herself a designer.

Festive Collective sells more than plates, streamers and tissue garlands – although its stock of party décor is extensive and stylish, the boutique touts an extensive collection of greeting cards, gifts, art and jewelry, as well as vintage-style office supplies. Wator’s clothing line is also available for purchase at Festive Collective.

Opening this Saturday, the boutique is ready to welcome customers. Those who visit the boutique this weekend between the hours of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. will get a real neighborhood welcome. Festive Collective is collaborating with Brewpoint Coffee to develop a speANGELA WATOR cial drink to mark the opening.

The neighbors have not finalized the details of the beverage quite yet, but Wator promises it will evoke the spirit of Festive Collective.

“It’s going to be some sort of pink latte,” she said.

The fun doesn’t stop there. Shoppers will also be treated to individually packaged treats made by Broken Tart Cakes.

The baker behind Broken Tart Cakes recently moved to Oak Park, according to Wator, who also lives in Oak Park.

“When I’m out walking around and talking to people in the neighborhood, they all seem like the same people who lived in Logan Square.”

PHOTOS BY ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

BRIGHT: Shop owner Angela Wator prepares for her grand opening, at Festive Collective, 159 S. Oak Park Ave.

The bakery and boutique have previously worked together for events at Festive Collective’s first location in Logan Square, which has been open for five years. Wator will be splitting her time between the two shops.

She chose to open her second location in Oak Park because it reminded her of the Logan Square community. She lived right around the corner from the first Festive Collective. Now she lives about a four-minute walk from the Oak Park location.

“I just love this area,” Wator told Wednesday Journal. “When I’m out walking around and talking to people in the neighborhood, they all seem like the same people who lived in Logan Square.”

Wator has been a resident of Oak Park for two years now and feels right at home. From the village’s young families to its creative community, she believes the people who live in Oak Park share the same appreciation for whimsy and art as that of her Logan Square customer base.

“I wanted to give something back to my new neighborhood,” she said.

She even chose the Oak Park Avenue storefront because it felt familiar. After having trouble finding the perfect spot, Wator was waiting for coffee when she noticed the rental sign hang-

ing outside of 159 S. Oak Park Ave. “I just signed the lease the next day,” Wator said.

The Oak Park location has a lot of the same vintage elements as the Logan Square store, according to Wator, including creaky floors. So much of Festive Collective’s charm and character comes from its storefronts, she believes.

“A lot of retail spaces that are available are just kind of like white boxes and new buildings,” she said.

Oak Park’s Festive Collective is anything but a white box.

Chris Uphues, Berwyn artist and brother of Growing Community Media editor Bob Uphues, painted a colorful large mural on one of the space’s interior walls. With its rainbows, flowers, hearts and mushrooms, the mural is cheerful without being garish. Festive Collective is selling merchandise created by Uphues.

Even the store’s display cases have been built by artists, which can make it difficult at times to determine what is and is not for sale. Syd Veverka, who used to work at the Logan Square shop, is hand tufting a rug for the shop, as well as making a papier-mâché mirror for the fitting room.

As with Uphues, some of Veverka’s work will be available for sale at Festive Collective.

Despite the economic travesties of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wator wasn’t deterred from opening a second location. Rather, she was emboldened from the support of her loyal customers who kept Festive Collective afloat through online sales. At the time of its physical reopening, Wator remembers having lines out the door to maintain capacity limits.

She believes that Festive Collective shined a little light into an otherwise miserable period for the world, reminding people that there’s still a reason to smile even if it can’t be seen behind a mask.

“As a retail space, we obviously can’t fix everything,” she concedes.

Wator noted how just taking the time to get dressed and going outside can raise spirits just a little.

“Once you start doing things like that, and taking the time to cheer yourself up, even just a little bit, it can slowly change your entire attitude. And I think that’s what has been drawing people to our store throughout this year.”

Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

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That’s some pie. Happy Apple is tops in Illinois “Eat This. Not That!” singles out Harrison Street shop’s chocolate pie

By MELISSA ELSMO Oak Park Eats Editor

The Happy Apple, 226 Harrison St., has been singled out by “Eat This. Not That!” as having the best pie in Illinois. The website partnered with Yelp to name the best pie in every state based on user ranking and reviews mentioning pie. The Happy Apple’s chocolate chess pie earned top honors among Illinois pie offerings.

“I was just stunned by this honor,” said Michelle Mascaro, owner of the Happy Apple. “It is refreshing to be honored for things other than apple. Our chocolate chess pie has had a fan club right from the start, so we make it every day.”

While the site does mention apple pie, the Happy Apple’s chocolate chess pie took center stage on the site. The pie is prized for its dense fudgy filling with a cracked crispy top layer.

The Happy Apple’s signature flakey crust makes the simple pie deceptively complex.

The mention came as a surprise to Mascaro who learned of the honor from a customer. After striking up a conversation with a patron enjoying a slice of chocolate pie at an outdoor table, Mascaro learned she was a tourist from Colorado who had intentionally visited the shop after reading about the Happy Apple on the “Eat This. Not That!” website.

The honor is particularly sweet given the pandemic forced the shop to put their staff on paid leave from March to September of 2020.

The shop relies on a unique blended work environment where people with and without intellectual and development disabilities work together. But Mascaro could not risk keeping her staff in the shop at the height of the pandemic. Once the vaccine became readily available, Mascaro was able to bring her eager pie-bakers back to the shop in smaller groups. Though she misses having customers inside the shop and serving pie on plates, she has opted to keep the Happy Apple’s indoor dining area closed for the foreseeable future.

Photos by Melissa Elsmo

HAPPY APPLE STAFF SHOWS OFF: (From left) Gina Rivera, front of house manager; Michelle Mascaro, owner; and Renner Eschenroder, pie maker, with a trio of pies.

“Throughout the pandemic we worked hard to prove we could be a trustworthy source of comfort and happiness to people in our community,” said Mascaro. “Everyone is so happy to be back, and I love seeing the friendships renewed between our staff members.”

This is the second time the Happy Apple has been surprised by national recognition for their pies. In 2019, USA Today named

Happy Apple Pie Shop the top place to get pie in the state of Illinois in its “Road Trip Guide: The best pie shop in every state.”

“My goal is to make excellent pie and serve it with kindness,” said Mascaro. “I never set out to make the best pie, but I think that sort of recognition comes whenever you try your very best at whatever you set out to do. We are so grateful to the customers who made us the best pie in Illinois.”

Tacos come to the Arts District Taco Mucho, 220 Harrison St., hosted a grand opening event on Saturday, Aug. 21. A Mariachi band played, and margaritas flowed while patrons selected from a thoughtfully edited menu of tacos, tortas and nachos during the highly anticipated Arts District opening.

Ron Aleman, chef-owner of Taco Mucho, worked tirelessly in preparation for the celebration. The space has been reoriented and brightened — warm string lights hang in the two dining rooms and a galvanized metal bar grounds the space. A vibrant Taco Mucho inspired mural announcing “share your tortillas” draws focus in the second dining room.

Aleman, an Oak Park resident and family man, admits the road to opening day was tiring but is eager to share his passion for cooking with the Oak Park community.

“When people were walking by this week and would peek in the windows, I couldn’t help but invite them in for a quick tour,” said Aleman. “My whole family has been focused on Taco Mucho’s opening and the community has been so supportive of us being here. This is a very exciting time.”

For the time being, Taco Mucho will be open Tuesday through Saturday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Melissa Elsmo

Ron Aleman (above), owner of Taco Mucho, prepares meals in the kitchen with his staff, during the grand opening of Tacho Mucho, 220 Harrison St., in Oak Park’s Arts District. | Photos by ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

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Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM Sponsored Content

A Bitcoin Education And Prediction My dad was likely one of the most intelligent people I will ever know. He was the only person I have known who was invited to be a member of the Mensa Society (his IQ was 142). He turned it down, stating “I am just not a club person.”

After my dad served in the Korean War, he was asked to enroll at the United States Naval Academy. He turned that down too, stating, “Your Mother was waiting for me in Chicago.” Instead, he married my mom and earned a degree from the University of Chicago majoring in physics.

Dad was a ferocious reader and a problem solver. He fixed everything around the house himself. If he did not know how to fix something, he found a book to teach him. It was no surprise that my dad was intrigued by computers.

In the 1960s he checked out numerous books from the library and started to learn more about computers.

By the mid-1970s, my dad started to build his own personal computer. To me all those panels, circuits, and wires looked like a bunch of gobbledygook. But my dad had the intelligence, education, and experience to see the potential in personal computers. Unfortunately, work, three kids, and other life obligations drained his

time and his money. So, my dad never finished building his personal computer. But to me the fact that he figured out how to do it was inspirational.

I am no Mensa Society candidate, but my dad and I do have one thing in common; a love of learning. My intrigue is not personal computers but cryptocurrency.

My “crypto” education is still a work in progress, but I predict cryptocurrency will evolve in the 2020s the way the Internet did in the 2000s and the personal computer in the 1990s.

Therefore, we all would benefit from a little more crypto conversation in our lives. To me it is best to start at the beginning.

Since the 1980s people have been interested in creating a digital currency. The difficulty in digital currency creation was twofold. One, how to maintain the user’s anonymity the way cash is anonymous and two, how to prevent the currency from being double spent.

The solution to the anonymity problem started with understanding blockchain. Blockchain technology was introduced in 1991 as a computer solution for time-stamping digital documents so that they could not be backdated or tampered with.

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The blockchain is a data system kind of like a spread sheet. However, instead of spread sheet’s rows and columns to store information, blockchain uses a chain of blocks. When a block is filled with information it is timestamped, added to all the other blocks in the chain, and becomes part of a chronological timeline.

Blockchain is great for digital currency because each digital transaction is publicly recorded and reliable but the people doing the transactions are anonymous.

Blockchain solved the anonymity problem but there was still the double spending problem. In 2004, a check your work type system was created.

In this “proof-of-work system,” a computer is required to solve a computer problem before it’s allowed to take some desired action. A second computer can quickly verify the work to prevent tricksters from cheating.

Then in late 2008 the blockchain and proof-of-work concepts were combined to solve the double spending problem.

A digital currency called Bitcoin combined blockchain technology, a proof of work system, and a worldwide decentralized (peer-to-peer) computer network.

To create a Bitcoin a participant (“miner”) uses their computer to solve a difficult math problem (“work”). The miner’s “work” is verified (“proofed”) by all the other computers in the network. If the math problem is correctly

solved and verified, the “miner” earns a percentage of Bitcoin for their effort. (If the work cannot be proofed the miner loses all their work and receives nothing.)

The mined Bitcoin then can be bought and sold.

The Bitcoin transactions are recorded in a blockchain making the transactions public and verifiable yet anonymous.

Bitcoin currency will be capped at 21 million Bitcoin thus creating scarcity and value. Since Bitcoin is finite (21 million) and its network is decentralized (not tied to any governmental body) Bitcoin should never have an inflation problem. Thus, its appeal.

Bitcoin has paved the way for other cryptocurrencies (Ethereum, Dogecoin, etc.) and a whole cottage industry to support and facilitate the use of cryptocurrencies (i.e., exchanges, trading, lending, etc.).

Cryptocurrency is held by the owner in an anonymous password protected account.

Thus, without documenting crypto’s location and password in something like an estate plan, a person’s cryptocurrency can be easily lost.

This problem is like life insurance and bank accounts, that although inheritable, can go unclaimed because the family does not know they exist. Don’t let that be you, create an estate plan that includes the information about your cryptocurrency and other assets. Check that estate planning off your to do list today!

Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

15

VACCINATION

Oak Park’s rate rises from page 1 “The state released new updated data that came from the combination of both [Illinois Comprehensive Automated Immunization Registry Exchange] and federal vaccination clinics,” Chapple-McGruder told Wednesday Journal.

Based on that new data, the village of Oak Park reported Aug. 17 that 68 percent of the village’s population is fully vaccinated, while 72 percent have received at least one dose – or 36,869 residents and 39,456 residents, respectively. Those figures are based on population data from the 2020 U.S. Census and includes children under 12 who are not yet eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines, which the village report notes.

Those vaccination rates are significantly higher than what the village shared Aug. 1, which stated that 29,565 residents were fully vaccinated with 30,403 residents having received at least one dose. The information included in the Aug. 11 report was taken from the state’s Illinois Comprehensive Automated Immunization Registry Exchange (I-CARE) system, a vaccination record-sharing system through the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH).

Federal vaccination clinic data is not included in I-CARE reporting, according to Chapple-McGruder.

IDPH published a combined dataset of I-CARE and federal clinic numbers in a recently released web system that allows the public to view the percentage of people completely vaccinated and those who have received one dose by zip code.

“It’s important for people to understand the data process.

We’re talking about reporting real time data as quickly as we have it,” she said. “And anytime that we’re reporting real time data it’s going to be preliminary and is subject to change.”

The new database made its public debut roughly on Aug. 5, but the Oak Park Public Health Department did not find out about it until Aug. 11, according to Chapple-McGruder, who told Wednesday Journal that neither she nor the village of Oak Park received notification from IDPH regarding its release.

“It took a few days of phone calls to understand what went into their system versus what went into ours,” said Chapple-

COMMERCIAL TAXES On the upswing from page 1 residential property tax for the 2020 tax year was $10,422, an increase of $246 over the 2019 median. In River Forest, the median residential property tax for 2020 was $13,296, an increase of $305 over the 2019 median.

The treasurer’s analysis comes as her office mails out second installment property tax bills, which are due Oct. 1.

“The new bills will bring the total amount billed countywide for 2020 to more than $16.1 billion, an increase of more than 3.4% from last year,” treasurer’s office officials said in a statement released Aug. 23.

They added that taxpayers can pay the bills online at cookcountytreasurer. com. Late payments are charged 1.5% per month, which is required by state law.

Referencing the report, Pappas said the

McGruder.

As the federal vaccine clinic data was accounted for in the IDPH zip code vaccination rate database but not in I-CARE, the Oak Park Public Health Department determined the figures from the zip code likely the more accurate as it provides a more complete dataset. For Chapple-McGruder, the fact that the new figures are markedly higher than what was previously believed is ultimately a positive as it means more residents have been vaccinated, despite the figures also being the reason why some community members are lobbing accusations that her department is spreading misinformation.

“This is exciting because it shows that there’s new data out there [that] we didn’t have access to, and it gives a more complete picture of what’s happening,” she said.

The public health director believes it probable that some vaccinated residents are still not being included in vaccination rates. If a resident got vaccinated in different states far from Illinois but not at a federal clinic, the provider would likely not report that information to I-CARE. “I had one resident tell me that she spends half her time

property tax increases have been hitting commercial owners and residential property owners in Black and Brown communities hardest.

“In what has become an all-too-familiar story, majority Black and Latino communities are being hardest hit with property tax increases,” Pappas’ office wrote. “That’s true for both homeowners and businesses in those areas.”

For instance, in nearby Proviso Township, Bellwood was hardest hit, with the average property owner expected to see a nearly $2,000 increase in median taxes owed — from $4,164 in tax year 2019 to $6,033 in tax year 2020.

In fact, Bellwood had the highest total residential property tax increase among all Cook County municipalities. Maywood ranked second-highest while Berkeley ranked third-highest.

In the report, Pappas’ office said the large increase in tax bills are due to changes in how properties are valued for tax purposes.

“These property valuations, conducted

in California and half her time in Oak Park and was vaccinated while in California but considers herself an Oak Park resident,” said Chapple-McGruder. “Those types of numbers wouldn’t be counted here.”

While the new vaccination rate data indicates that Oak Park is in a much better position to thwart COVID-19, the battle is not won yet. The Oak Park Public Health Department has no plans to halt its efforts to vaccinate.

The department hosted its first booster clinic Aug. 19 at the main Oak Park Fire Station, administering third doses of vaccines to immunocompromised individuals. It will hold additional clinics for that population segment in coming weeks.

The mobile health department will also continue to frequent community events, including the popular outdoor Thursday Night Out event series in downtown Oak Park, to vaccinate willing attendees on the spot. Volunteers will be on site to educate and hopefully dispel any hesitancy.

“We still need people to get vaccinated who have been holding out.”

by the Cook County Assessor’s Office, determine what portion of the overall tax burden is paid by each individual property owner,” the treasurer’s office said.

“The Assessor’s Office last year reassessed all properties in the suburbs south of North Avenue. It also adjusted the values of many properties in the rest of the county, citing the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on property values.”

As a result, in much of Cook County, “the total value of residential properties decreased more than those of commercial properties. In each case, that results in commercial property owners picking up a bigger portion of the overall tax burden.”

But Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi, an Oak Park resident, has said that his office’s attempts to offload the burden of property taxes from residents to commercial owners and correct “a rigged system that puts favoritism above fairness” have been complicated by the lack of information from commercial property owners.

Kaegi has explained that without accurate income and expense data from commercial

property owners, his office has a hard time establishing objective property tax valuations and staving off the influence of the Cook County Board of Review, the powerful body responsible for conducting appeals.

And multiple attempts by Kaegi to persuade Springfield to pass a data modernization bill that would provide this missing data have failed.

Pappas urged property owners to go to the treasurer’s website and check if they qualify for tax refunds and are eligible for exemptions, which may lower their tax bills.

In a statement, the treasurer’s office said in order to search for exemptions, residents should visit cookcountytreasurer.com and select the purple box labeled “Your Property Tax Overview,” search by property address or the Property Index Number (PIN) and look for the results under “Are There Any Overpayments On Your PIN?” or results under “Have You Received Your Exemptions In These Tax Years?”

CONTACT: michael@oakpark.com

16

C R I M E

Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Rideshare drivers targeted by carjackers Carjackers didn’t have a preference between Lyft and Uber in Oak Park last week as drivers from both ridesharing apps were victims of armed vehicular hijackings. While the two incidents occurred on separate days, offenders seemingly had a preferred time for forcibly taking cars as each happened during the noon hour.

A Chicago Lyft driver was the first to pick up a fare harboring motives beyond transportation, on Aug. 13 at 12:40 p.m., in the 200 block of South Humphrey Avenue. The passenger pressed a silver handgun with a black frame against the back of the driver’s neck and ordered him out of his 2016 dark gray Honda Pilot. The hijacker fled in the vehicle, traveling northbound on Humphrey Avenue. The estimated loss was $27,000. Oak Park detectives recovered the Honda Pilot on Aug. 16 in the 4100 block of West Roosevelt Road in Chicago after the vehicle was involved in a hit-and-run accident. The investigation is ongoing.

The second incident occurred six days later on Aug. 19, when an Uber driver from Berwyn picked up a fare at 12:24 p.m. and was directed by the fare to stop in the 100 block of North Taylor Avenue. The passenger showed a handgun and demanded the driver exit the vehicle.

The victim complied and the offender was last seen driving north on North Taylor Avenue in the 2018 Chevrolet Malibu, a loss estimated at $20,000. Chicago police recovered the vehicle in the 400 block of North Lawndale Avenue.

Police reports describe the offender in the first incident as a Black male wearing a dark mask and dark brown hoodie. The offender in the second incident was described in police reports as a Black male, 25 to 30 years old, 6 feet tall with a medium build. He was last seen wearing a black ski mask.

Robbery While walking home at 9:50 p.m., Aug. 20 in the 100 block of Washington Boulevard, an Oak Park resident was pushed to the ground from behind by an unknown teen and a sec-

ond teenager with dreadlocks searched the victim’s pockets and took a car key fob and a black Louis Vuitton wallet, which contained $600, identification and credit cards.

Both teens entered the victim’s car but were prevented from starting the vehicle as the victim opened its rear passenger side door.

The two teens then fled on foot northbound on North Taylor Avenue. The estimated loss is $1,450.

Burglary ■ Someone entered an apartment through an unlocked kitchen window and ransacked the kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedroom, then removed a black backpack, an electric razor, three PlayStation 4 video games, two gaming controllers, a computer mouse, headset and $5 in cash between 6 p.m., Aug. 11 and 5 p.m., Aug. 16 in the 100 block of North Humphrey Avenue.

■ Someone forced open the bedroom window of a residence and took two white iPhone X cellphones, assorted jewelry, a diamond ring, earrings, chains and a Rolex watch between 10 p.m., Aug. 20 and 2 p.m., Aug. 22 in the 1100 block of South Boulevard. The estimated loss is $61,200.

Motor vehicle theft A white 2014 Subaru Outback was taken from the 900 block of South Austin Boulevard between 9:30 p.m., Aug. 18 and 12:15 a.m., Aug. 19. The estimated loss is $20,000.

Criminal damage to property ■ Someone shattered the front and rear windshields of a white 2014 Nissan Altima parked in the street in the 900 block of Wesley Avenue between 9 p.m., Aug. 20 and 6:26 a.m., Aug. 21. The estimated damage is $2,000.

■ Someone slashed all four tires of a gray Jeep Patriot, knocked off the passenger side

PHOTO BY MICHAEL ROMAIN

Oak Park police process the scene of a fatal shooting in the 800 block of South Harlem Avenue on Aug. 17. The victim was reportedly driving north on Harlem and stopped in traffic when someone fired multiple rounds from another vehicle that pulled up alongside.

One dead in Harlem and Garfield shooting

Rounds reportedly fired at motorist from another vehicle One person, who has not yet been identified, has died after being shot shortly before 5 p.m. on Aug. 17 in the 800 block of South Harlem Avenue, just south of Garfield Street in Oak Park.

The Oak Park Police Department are investigating the shooting with assistance from the West Suburban Major Crimes Task Force.

According to police, the male victim was in vehicle stopped in traffic while mirror and scratched the paint on both sides of the vehicle between 7 a.m. and 3:32 p.m., Aug. 21 in the 1100 block of Garfield Street.

The estimated damage is $1,200.

■ The rear windshield of a 2015 Porsche Macan was broken between 3:15 a.m. and 1:25 p.m., Aug. 14 in the 1100 block of Westgate Street. The estimated damage is $1,000.

These items, obtained from the Oak Park Police Department, came from reports, Aug.

traveling north on Harlem Avenue when a dark-colored SUV pulled up near the driver’s side then fired multiple rounds into the victim’s vehicle.

The victim was transported to Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood where he later died.

The SUV was last seen traveling west on Harrison Street from Harlem Avenue.

Stacey Sheridan

14-23, and represent a portion of the incidents to which police responded. Anyone named in these reports has only been charged with a crime and cases have not yet been adjudicated. We report the race of a suspect only when a serious crime has been committed, the suspect is still at large, and police have provided us with a detailed physical description of the suspect as they seek the public’s help in making an arrest.

Compiled by Stacey Sheridan

Experienced Shots fired on North Taylor Ave. Police find ‘several’ Piano Teacher shell casings (All levels and styles) Call Dr. Harry Steckman (708) 533-0969

By STACEY SHERIDAN Staff Reporter

Oak Park has had two shootings in one week, with the second occurring just one day after the Aug.17 shooting that resulted in the death of one victim in the 800 block of South Harlem Avenue.

While the details of the most recent shooting are limited, the 911 dispatch cen-

ter received a call at about 2 p.m., Aug. 18 that shots had been fired in the 500 block of North Taylor Avenue, according to Oak Park spokesman David Powers. The caller, whose location was not noted, did not provide information as to who or how many people were involved.

When Oak Park police arrived at the scene, Powers told Wednesday Journal officers “found several shell casings, but no suspects or victims were located.” The area was canvassed for witnesses and cameras, according to Powers, but no new information has emerged so far.

Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

ART BEAT

B”H

The making of a teacher-writer

F

all of ’72, my first day at Oak Park and River Forest High School, our English teacher, Mr. McGinty, hands out an article from the school newspaper, the Trapeze. The prose is longwinded, the analysis imprecise.

Our teacher has fun letting us take turns tearing it apart.

Finally, he holds the execrable article above his head. “Ernest Hemingway wrote this his junior year,” he cackles. “There’s hope for you all!”

Fall of ’94, I am a fifth-year teacher at MS 44 in Manhattan.

A theater kid in high school, I’d spent my 20s trying to write the Great American Drama. But I have deserted Ernie’s craft for Mr. McGinty’s noble trade.

It’s my second period prep and, that morning, rumors fly of chocolate donuts in the teachers lounge. Beside that last donut is a mauled, day-old Post. The paper is open to a headline that catches my eye: “Student Injured in Queens Classroom.”

A high school teacher –– white, male –– in a largely Haitian school, struggled to control his class. Students had rushed to the door, and, in the crush, a student’s hand was caught in the doorway, severing a finger.

In addition to the horror of this incident, I’m struck by how random it is, how unprovoked. I read the account several times and nothing clarifies in the re-reading. Why had students rushed the door? Was the slamming intentional?

Where was the teacher in this incident? It was all so fog-of-war.

And so familiar. How easily that –– or something very like it –– could happen in my classroom, in any teacher’s classroom.

I tear out the article, fold it –– chocolate smudges and all –– and stick it in my wallet. Where it remains for years.

Inspired –– and goaded –– by my students, I return to Ernie’s craft. I write short stories about what I know: teaching, being a husband, a father.

But one day I tell my students, “Write what you know, yes, but take a hint from Stephen King –– write what you fear. Find your discomforts, then make them excruciating. Your protagonist will hate it, but your reader will thank you.”

That night, I take my own advice.

I re-read a short story I’d published, then dig out the draft of it I’d workshopped at Bread Loaf Writing Conference years earlier. It was a tale of student-teacher conflict, wrapped around a romantic relationship going bad. My workshop instructor, Jennifer Egan, had identified the weaknesses that kept this promising draft from being publishable.

I’d made those changes and gotten the desired results, but now I noticed her final comment: There’s more here than you think.

This comment jolts me.

I realize then, with terror and exhilaration, that this short story wants to be a novel. I dig out the chocolate-smeared Post article. It is as chilling as ever.

Write your fears.

A new headline comes to me: Student Gives Teacher the Finger. It’s as horrifying as the original, only funnier. And the key to my novel. I give my teacher protagonist, Patrick Lynch, new horrors and absurdities to face.

His student conflict –– now including a lost digit –– involves parents, the principal, the teachers union, the board of education.

The Post.

I begin to work on something deeper, more troubling than my short story, with all the unpredictable dangers of classrooms. I keep writing and making my well-intentioned protagonist’s life a living –– and funny –– hell.

I write and revise Class Dismissed over the course of a decade. When I read the finished manuscript, I’m pleased that it adds up to a novel. And yes, it’s another teacher novel (Does the world need another teacher novel?), but it’s one I’ve never read before, the one I need to read. And maybe, just maybe, that others need to read too.

And perhaps Mr. McGinty was right: There’s hope for us all.

“Class Dismissed” is available at The Book Table, 1045 Lake St., Oak Park. More on McIntosh, who now resides in Somerville, Massachusetts; the novel, including praise from fellow Oak Park novelist Jane Hamilton; and to register for virtual readings/ discussions, go to: kevinmmcintosh.com.

KEVIN MCINTOSH Guest Author

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Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

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Homes

Does mid-century matter?

As park district prepares to raze Madison St. building, preservationists say they’re worth saving

By LACEY SIKORA

W

Contributing Reporter

ith recent news that the Park District of Oak Park plans to demolish a mid-century modern office building at 228-230 Madison St. to make way for a parking lot, local preservationists have made the case that such buildings are worth preserving for multiple reasons.

Known as the Drifts Oak Building, the two-story building was designed in 1963 by architect Robert Taylor. The park district purchased the building in 2019 for $477,560 and, until recently, it was used rent-free by Yemba Inc. and West Suburban Special Recreation Association.

Park District Executive Director Jan Arnold says the building has problems that include its heating and cooling system, rain penetration, basement flooding and standing

water, electrical and plumbing issues and asbestos in the roof, floor and ceiling tiles.

On Aug. 19, the park district awarded a contract for demolition of the building at an estimated cost of $143,000.

Arnold states that in its place, the park district will maintain a gravel parking lot, increasing parking from four spaces to 20.

She says that some of those 20 park district vehicles are currently parked on the future site of the Community Recreation Center across the street. Once the Community Recreation Center is constructed, the lot will also serve as overflow parking for users of that facility.

Frank Heitzman, an Oak Park architect and past chairman of the village’s Historic Preservation Commission and the Pleasant Home Foundation as well as past-president of the Chicago Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, laments the loss of the building.

He says that tearing down the building is questionable from a historic preservation standpoint and also from an energy-use perspective.

Best use and green energy claims Oak Parker Mike Iverson, an architect, urban planner, urban ecologist and adjunct

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oakpark.com/real-estate email: buphues@wjinc.com

File photo

GOING, GOING ...: The Park District of Oak Park will soon demolish the building at 228230 Madison St. to make way for a parking lot, leaving some to question whether that’s the property’s best and highest use. professor in University of Illinois at Chicago’s Department of Urban Planning and Policy, who has an expertise in urbanized ecosystems,” Iverson said, adding the demolition raises many questions.

“Is this the highest and best use of that lot? Of course not,” Iverson said of its conversion to a parking lot. “Specifically, the economics by themselves from a taxpayer point of view make no sense.”

Christopher Payne, an Oak Park-based architect and former Historic Preservation Commission chairman, agrees with the economic argument. He points out that when parking spaces in a covered structure routinely sell in the $10,000 to $25,000 range, paying this much for a surface parking lot that is on a prime corner location is not the best use of funds.

“I hate to always criticize taxing bodies for peeling properties off the tax rolls, but to do that for parking, is that really the best use?” Payne asked.

More importantly, Iverson says the park district, which claims its new Community Recreation Center will be a net-zero build-

ing, is failing to consider the environmental cost of demolishing an existing building.

“When you tear down any building, there is an inherent embodied energy component,” Iverson said.

He would like the park district to define its net-zero claim, saying “Is it net-zero emissions or net-zero energy? Do you include the energy cost of tearing down buildings or the transportation used by people to get to the CRC? The net-zero claim is very nebulous.”

Iverson calls on the park district and the village to define and substantiate claims of energy efficiency when they are using taxpayer provided money.

“The term net zero has no meaning whatsoever here, and this has been a theme in the village,” Iverson said.

Heitzman called the use of the term net zero, “green washing.”

Both Heitzman and Iverson concede it is too late to save the Madison Street building, but say the issues raised are important to keep alive.

See MID-CENTURY on page 20

Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

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20

Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

MIDCENTURY Worth saving from page 18 “What is the historic significance of midcentury buildings?” Heitzman asked. “Are we going to tear them down because they need a new roof ? Here, it’s too little too late, but let’s have a community discussion about the future.”

Historically significant?

Payne says it’s time to recognize the importance of contemporary buildings in the architectural heritage of Oak Park.

Mid-century modern buildings like the Drifts Oak building represent an important era, Payne said, noting that the village has already recognized other mid-century buildings as landmarks. The commercial building 1515 N. Harlem Ave., which he describes as having a dramatic UFO-like appendage is landmarked, as is a home at 1010 Fair Oaks Ave. Mid-century modern style he says is often characterized by the use of natural materials like heavy timber or oversized stone. Payne says it has commonalities with Frank Lloyd Wright’s Usonian homes, in that both styles relied on employing mass-produced materials in both naturalistic and futuristic ways.

For Payne, existing mid-century buildings are worth saving, because they are still useful and because they are representative of a particular era in architecture. He points out that while some might deem these build-

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM ings too contemporary for historic preservation, people could have said the same about Frank Lloyd Wright’s Home and Studio at the time it was preserved.

He also notes that many notable mid-century buildings, such as office buildings on North Avenue and the multi-unit residential building at 7 Division St., are good examples of mid-century designs that are on the borders of the village and serve as an entry point for visitors and residents alike.

While historic preservation discussions can be unpopular, Payne says it’s important for the village to champion preservation, noting that it should be a boon to the village to have thoughtfully preserved, unique architecture.

The Drifts Oak building was included in Landmarks Illinois’ Recent Past Survey of Suburban Cook County in 2011 and was cited in the village-commissioned Madison Street Corridor Architectural Survey by Wiss, Janney, Elstner in 2006 as an example of one of the “notable modern buildings.”

Payne thinks the village would do well to value the findings of the reports it commissions.

“It’s ironic that the village has never wrapped its head around how valuable preservation can be,” he said.

Payne also wonders if there could be an embrace of ideas such as identifying other at-risk buildings, and perhaps holding taxing bodies to higher standards when it comes to permitting demolitions.

“It’s particularly distressing when it’s the village, or the library or the park district – some place where my tax dollars are go-

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REPRESENT: Mid-century modern buildings, like the multi-unit residential building at 7 Division St. (above) are representative of that era’s architecture and are just as worthy of saving as other, perhaps more traditionally popular styles of architecture, say preservationists. ing -- that’s doing the demolishing,” Payne said. “It’s one thing if it’s a bad developer, another if it’s part of our public policy as a community.”

Payne notes that Landmarks Illinois has recently expressed interest in mid-century modern designs, and he thinks that preservation of these buildings can be a part of a larger conversation on historic preserva-

tion that would benefit the village.

While it may be too late for the Madison Street building -- Arnold says demolition is slated for Oct. 1 -- Payne is hopeful that a new village board and a newly revitalized Historic Preservation Commission, as well as an interested and knowledgeable population, might push the envelope towards embracing a preservation-guided mindset.

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Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

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DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSIONS IS FRIDAY 5 P.M. Call Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at 613-3310 ktrainor@wjinc.com

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VIEWPOINTS

My never-ending garage saga

n the midst of all the insanity occurring in Chicago today, some of us still have to seek moments that bring about some semblance of normalcy. For me, my constant battle to maintain my garage is one of those moments.

I have a garage that was probably built in the 1950s. It originally had the swing-out barn doors, but I replaced them about 30 years ago with an overhead door. I have been avoiding having to get a new garage built by constantly doing things to keep this garage going. About five years ago, as I spotted the rotting roof, I took on the task to sister-board the roof beams, replace the roof ’s rotting wood with plywood and install shingles. Yes, I did the work myself, ignoring the laughter of several guys who passed by and snickered. When my garage withstood all the snow that landed on it this past winter, it was a further affirmation of the great job I did.

By the way, the garage also does not leak!

One of the weird things about my garage is that the concrete floor did not meet up to the wood 2 x 4s that were the foundation for the garage walls. After the city visited and told me that rats were living in my garage, I quickly went about adding cement in between the studs to keep the rats from building nests and tunnels.

They were not welcome in my garage and I was prepared to do all I could to keep them out. I also put steel mesh in the concrete as an extra deterrent. If the rats began to nibble away at the concrete, they were soon going to be met with an impenetrable barrier that they could not get through.

However, the rats really seem to like my garage. Once I evicted them from the interior, they started digging holes on the exterior. My response was to obtain more of the steel mesh and place it next to the garage so that they could not dig holes. Mr. Rat, I am sure, was pissed. So he showed me. He found a way to dig a hole in the front from the alley side. But I was not to be deterred. I got more of the steel mesh, and I filled up the hole with it. I even lined along the wood fence with the mesh where Mr. Rat had been nibbling. More than anything, I hope Mr. Rat was in the hole when I sealed it off. It’s an everyday battle to see who is winning between him and me, and I have every intention of being that winner!

Along with dealing with the rat problem, my garage overhead door has jumped the track several times. I am so grateful that my late handyman often used me as his helper. I have been able to fix the problem every time. I replaced the majority of rollers with those that have longer stems.

I bought mine from a garage door company, but I suggest people go to Menard’s to find them. I overpaid because Menard’s was out of stock and I just couldn’t afford to wait.

This past Sunday, my son managed to have the top roller come out of the track. Between the weight of the door and falling backwards, it took a moment and a lot of thought processes, but we were able to get the roller back in the track and everything working. I got some heavy duty axle grease from the auto parts store to place in those tracks to give it lubrication. I highly recommend that if you haven’t done it, it’s something you should do to your garage as part of the maintenance procedures.

Every time after doing repairs, I ask that my garage gives me five more years. I know the day is going to come when I will have to replace it. But until that day comes, I’m doing my best to keep what I have functioning.

Arlene Jones writes a weekly column for our sister publication, the Austin Weekly News.

ARLENE JONES

Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

23

What God has to say to white evangelicals p. 24

Linda Michoacana: great popsicles, plus dorilocos

L

bowl), the other ingredients are dealer’s inda Michoacana (“linda,” choice, though there seem to be several in Spanish, means “beautimust-haves. ful”), located at the corner of Though a bizarre and seemingly inedOak Park and North avenues, ible mish-mosh of ingredients, doriloserves paletas (frozen fruit cos contain many complementary and bars), cream popsicles, milk- and contrasting flavors and textures. At Linda water-based ice cream, fresh juices, Michoacana, our bag of Doritos was and a few specialties. topped off with pickled pig skin — “we Dorilocos are on the “secret let the skin marinate in jalapeno juice,” menu.” the young lady told us, “so they’re just a “The people who know about little spicy” — raw cabbage, avocado, sour them, know to ask for them,” said cream, salsa, and Japanese peanuts (suthe young lady at the counter. We per-crunchy peanuts coated in wheat flour saw the bags of Doritos on the back dough and fried). Because I had dorilocos wall and assumed, correctly, that Local Dining with gummy bears in Mexico City, I asked we could get dorilocos at Linda & Food Blogger for a scoop of those on top of what seemed Michoacana. about a pound of other ingredients.

Mexico City’s Chapultepec Park Here’s why dorilocos work: the pickled was the former retreat of ancient pig skin has a texture comparable to gummies, Aztec rulers in the days before Cortez came abut the sourness of the skin contrasts with the knockin’ at Montezuma’s golden door. Now the sweetness of gummies and, like the salsa, cuts park is an urban retreat for the people of Mexico through the richness of the avocado, sour cream, City, a lush green space filled with history and and cheese. The slight heat of the salsa plays off some unusual things to eat. Along paths leading the sweetness as well; the raw cabbage provides a into the park are vendors with hand-lettered signs fresh vegetal note and crunch, as do the Doritos advertising “dorilocos” and “Doritos preparados.” and peanuts. The whole thing works in ways it We were intrigued. may be difficult to imagine.

Dorilocos — “crazy Doritos — have no set-inIn Chapultepec Park, one can also find papaslostone recipe. Aside from the requisite bag of cas, which are potato chips in a large, clear plastic Doritos (cut the long way to become a kind of foil cup, dressed with pretty much the same ingredients as dorilocos, and including a long plastic straw with a thin coating of salty-sour tamarind candy.

At Linda Michoacana, their main business is frozen confections, and we also got paletas of Mexican chocolate and cajeta. The Mexican chocolate paleta has the gritty, cinnamon-y flavors of the disks of Mexican chocolate you can buy at any bodega, and the cajeta, traditionally made of caramelized goat milk, was fantastic.

Dorilocos may strike you as a bit over the top. When we were in Mexico City, Carolyn would not deign to have more than a forkful of my dorilocos; at Linda Michoacana, however, she went after the dorilocos with more enthusiasm that even I could muster.

Dorilocos are much tastier PHOTO BY DAVID HAMMOND than you might think.

DAVID

HAMMOND

DORILOCOS: Better than it looks.

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Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

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Vax mandates now

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ith the FDA on Monday granting full approval to the Pfizer COVID vaccine, we are waiting for a cascade of vaccine mandates from public bodies across Oak Park and River Forest.

All of them.

Schools. Cops. Village hall. Park districts. Firefighters.

There is no longer a single reason to allow public employees — especially but not exclusively those on the front lines with our kids, our elderly — to be on the public payroll and not be vaccinated.

We have as a nation reached this lunatic moment when we have the methods to stomp this virus and the majority is allowing a deranged minority to block the attempt for reasons that are nonsensical, and an assault on the common good.

Enough. Way past enough.

In these two towns we have the authority to expect that our public employees are adding to the protection we need and not undermining it. How does this play out? Do school boards bring out resolutions and deadlines and cast the vote? Does Oak Park’s public health director, Dr. Theresa Chapple-McGruder, exert her authority and issue the mandate?

We can assume these conversations have been underway, though public officials have been oddly silent on this central topic.

Monday night, the school board at the Evanston/Skokie public elementary schools took the vote to mandate vaccines with specific limits on exceptions and weekly testing for those exempt.

Why aren’t these villages — progressive till it hurts — leading on this?

Last week we reported on local businesses in the hospitality industry that are putting vaccine mandates in place: FitzGerald’s and Kinslahger on Roosevelt Road, the Beer Shop in downtown Oak Park. Credit them for looking out for us and for themselves.

Hear clearly the message from Will Duncan, owner at FitzGerald’s, who says it plainly: “The future of the live music industry depends on us kicking COVID’s ass.”

Our collective future depends on the rational use of the tools we have to sequester the misguided into increasingly narrow lives apart from the rest of us.

Spillover is no defense Oak Park has long coped with violent acts near its borders with the rationalization that it was, for the most part, “spillover” from either the city or other suburbs we deem as “troubled.”

The spillover of a shooting death in the village is made less startling still when the victims are from those “other” places. It shouldn’t, but that’s how it seems to be.

Lately, though, we have seen an increased volume of such violence — last week a vehicle-to-vehicle murder just off the Ike at Harlem and reports of shots, the discovery of shell casings but no apparent victims on North Taylor. Then there was the crushing story of Melissa Rendon, the 15-year-old from Chicago, whose body was dumped in an alley in Oak Park. Two suspects are in custody though not yet charged with her death. Instead there are charges aplenty for the alleged drugging and rape of this unconscious child. That a 40-year-old man, charged in the case, identified himself in a video posted on Snapchat as the crime allegedly unspooled is more than chilling, it is evil loosed.

Such incidents, however, must not lead to further separation, amplifying division and simply amping up policing. We need to continue to engage our neighbors, support substantive change in sharing resources, and above all work control the unfettered flow of guns as we rethink community safety.

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What would God say to white evangelicals?

o one can speak for God, of course, though many try. Lord they do try. The vast majority of white evangelical Christians in 2020, for instance, said God wanted them to vote for Donald Trump — and they did, by a huge margin, according to an article on the website Gallup.com.

“The AP VoteCast survey shows that 81% of white evangelical protestant voters went for Trump this year, compared with 18% who voted for Biden.”

No surprise, then, that they are reluctant vaccinators. Though the numbers have risen, white evangelicals, according a recent article in U.S. News & World Report, remain the single largest demographic group who refuse to get vaccinated under any circumstances — 22% of them, based on a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

I wondered what God might say to these folks.

And then it came to me, as if in a dream:

You are better than that. I know because I created you. If you want to please or praise me, then act like you have some inkling of who I really am and what I want for the world. Until then, stop claiming to speak for me.

Especially at a time like this, everyone should be putting aside their fears and doubts and doing something to help their fellow human beings. That means wearing a mask and getting vaccinated.

Jesus warned you about false prophets. By their fruit you shall know them.

Do you really think a compulsive liar could ever serve as my emissary? A person who consistently lies cannot be trusted. You are putting your trust in this man because he tells you what you want to hear. Believing such a man dishonors me. My way is truth, love and the sacredness of each individual and all creation. Do you really think a person who has made a bargain with the Devil is taking you down my path?

You are lost. Come back. To your senses and to me. Your precious “freedoms” do not make you free. You seek personal freedom without any responsibility to your fellow human beings. That kind of freedom is just another form of prison — where you are the only inmate.

Stop listening to those who sell conspiracy theories that harden your hearts with fear. Open your hearts, then open the doors of your prison. Emerge from darkness into the clear light of day.

You dislike people telling you what to do. You dislike people looking down on you. But you aren’t shy about telling other people what they should or shouldn’t do. And you look down on too many.

You suffer from the disease of judgment. I had that disease once but discovered after The Flood that genocide was not an effective motivational tool. By the time Jesus came along, I had changed.

He announced that change. Do not judge others, lest you too be judged. Do not condemn the mote in your brother’s eye while ignoring the beam in your own. When the mob was ready to stone a woman for adultery, Jesus said let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

All have sinned. None are in a position to judge.

Yet you judge even me, imagining me to be vindictive and punishing. You project your own biases and dark fears on me as a way to justify them in yourself. You do not know me.

I am the God of Love. That is all I am, all I am capable of, and it is enough. It’s all you are capable of too, if you would just try a little harder.

I am not the God of Judgment, but that doesn’t mean I accept everything. You are people of faith.

You want to believe. But you are too easily led astray by false prophets, who will always tell you what you want to hear, even when it’s not good for you.

What would Jesus do? He would tell his disciples to get vaccinated. Even Donald Trump is vaccinated. What does that tell you?

Wear your masks, get your shots, and help the world overcome this pandemic.

That is the least you can do for the least of these.

KEN

TRAINOR

Stop following people whose values and behavior are an abomination in my eyes, whose words are hurtful and whose actions are harmful to others, and who are so self-obsessed that they never give a moment’s thought to other people. I often hear you ask, “What would Jesus do?” He would, and did, say, “Love one another.” Don’t follow those who cannot understand what the word “love” means.

All human beings are equal in my eyes. I wish they were all equal in your eyes as well. But they aren’t.

Voting for those who support inequality, through words and actions, is a violation of what I hold dear and a betrayal of my plan for creation.

No human being is superior to another, and no human being is inferior. This is not complicated. Why do you make it so? All are equal. Treat them that way — in everything you do, everything you say, every day of your life. Am I making myself clear?

I appreciate that you’re concerned enough about abortion to declare yourself “pro-life,” but you continue to support, through words, votes and action, a political agenda and a personal lifestyle that endangers all of creation. It doesn’t do much good to end abortion if the entire planet is destroyed. An obsession with abortion is not my idea of pro-life.

Be pro-life in everything you do, everything you say, every day of your life. In all things, not just one thing.

Love your neighbor as yourself, Jesus said.

You have been loving neither yourself nor others nearly enough. Love more. Never stop. And never put yourself ahead of others, especially during a pandemic. I don’t cause pandemics — and I don’t appreciate insinuations that I do; that’s not how I operate — but a pandemic is a great opportunity to learn important lessons about taking better care of one another.

The way you define “freedom” is sinful: personal indulgence at the harmful expense of others. You won’t wear a mask or get vaccinated in order to end a pandemic that is killing people and making many more sick. You say it infringes your “personal freedom.” Do you hear how that sounds?

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A big thank-you to the parks’ summer staff

W E D N E S D A Y

JOURNAL of Oak Park and River Forest

they had smiles and we definitely could tell that they were glad to be in camp. And for this I thank them.

Also to the amazing pool staff who worked long hours in both cold (think May) and heat (think August) during the three-and-a-half-month outdoor pool season. The lifeguards not only trained differently this year due to COVID-19, but started the year with face-coverings while guarding the pools. The guards and supervisors came to work each and every day ready to serve and ensure a safe and fun pool experience. The swim instructors also had a different training experience and worked closely with participants to teach water safety and swimming skills.

The pool maintenance team ensured that the facility stayed clean and the water quality was maintained.

The cashiers greeted our swimmers and made sure our occupancy limits were maintained. Each of these staff members made it possible for there to be a 2021 pool season and I thank them for their commitment.

Our parks team went above and beyond, taking pride in our parks like it was an extension of their own backyard. They worked tirelessly to keep the restrooms clean, grass mowed, small trees watered, and litter removed from the parks. These staff members are essential to keeping the parks and playgrounds clean and safe during the busy summer season.

Last but not least, the Conservatory team did an amazing job beautifying our parks. This team grew, planted and maintained the plantings and flowers throughout the parks, as well as pulling more weeds than they would like to remember.

It takes a lot of dedication from these summer staff members, and I want them to know that their efforts are appreciated and our community benefits from what they do.

Thanks team, I hope to see you back in 2022.

Jan Arnold is executive director of the COURTESY PARK DISTRICT OF OAK PARK Park District of Oak Park.

s executive director of the Park District of Oak Park, I reflect upon the past 18 months and think about the numerous summer staff who served the residents of Oak Park under conditions that none of us could have imagined in 2019. Our staff rose to the occasion and provided amazing, fun, safe and supportive programming, facilities and parks for all of our residents. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank them for an incredible job, well done.

Summer positions at the park district are the first job for many of our youth. Over the summer, our full-time staff work closely with the summer team to help grow them as individuals as well as excel in their position. Trust me when I say that these staff members are faced with a variety of challenging scenarios, and they do an amazing job navigating each and every situation.

Summer camps in both 2020 and 2021 were filled with health screenings, face-coverings and socialdistancing activities due to the pandemic. Yet camp counselors stepped up, engaged the kids, and created many wonderful memories. Whether the kids were doing nature hikes, water days, crafts, or group games,

JAN

ARNOLD One View

Nadea, summer staff

Editor and Publisher Dan Haley Senior Editor Bob Uphues Equity Editor/Ombudsman Michael Romain Staff Reporters Stacey Sheridan, F. Amanda Tugade Staff Photographer Alex Rogals Viewpoints Editor Ken Trainor Real Estate Editor Lacey Sikora Food Editor Melissa Elsmo Arts Editor Michelle Dybal Columnists Marc Blesoff, Jack Crowe, Doug Deuchler, Mary Kay O’Grady, Kwame Salter, John Stanger, Stan West Design/Production Manager Andrew Mead Editorial Design Manager Javier Govea Designer Mark Moroney Business Manager Joyce Minich Marketing Representatives Marc Stopeck, Lourdes Nicholls Development Manager Mary Ellen Nelligan Circulation Manager Jill Wagner E-MAIL jill@oakpark.com Chairman Emeritus Robert K. Downs

Growing Community Media BOARD OF DIRECTORS Chair Judy Greffin Treasurer Nile Wendorf Deb Abrahamson, Gary Collins, Darnell Shields, Sheila Solomon, Eric Weinheimer

About Viewpoints Our mission is to lead educated conversation about the people, government, schools, businesses and culture of Oak Park and River Forest. As we share the consensus of Wednesday Journal’s editorial board on local matters, we hope our voice will help focus your thinking and, when need be, fire you to action.

In a healthy conversation about community concerns, your voice is also vital. We welcome your views, on any topic of community interest, as essays and as letters to the editor. Noted here are our stipulations for filing.

Please understand our verification process and circumstances that would lead us not to print a letter or essay. We will call to check that what we received with your signature is something you sent. If we can’t make that verification, we will not print what was sent. When, in addition to opinion, a letter or essay includes information presented as fact, we will check the reference. If we cannot confirm a detail, we may not print the letter or essay.

If you have questions, email Viewpoints editor Ken Trainor at ktrainor@ wjinc.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

A different view on taxes

I despise the level of taxation in this town as much as the next person, but I have a different view on the matter than most. Real estate taxes are imposed on the value of property, so the relevant point of comparison is not “how much did my taxes go up” or “how much did my taxes increase as compared to inflation,” but “are my taxes, over time, going up more than the value of my property?” If your property value triples, you should expect your taxes to triple. The general rate of inflation has little to do with changes in your property’s value.

The rule of thumb for Cook County properties going back to the 1970s was that your taxes were going to be around 2.5% of your property’s value.

My impression is that, nowadays, it’s more like 3%.

Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

We also demand that our local governments do more than they did 50 years ago. You want more services, you have to pay for them.

If government inefficiency were the problem, it would have been solved long ago — or at least it should have been. There’s no excuse for wasting taxpayer dollars no matter what the level of taxation.

You want lower taxes, you have to vote down every tax referendum — even if you believe it should be passed — until your elected officials get the message.

You also have to elect officials who promise to cut services and have the backbone to stand up to choruses of abuse and actually do it.

Bob Stigger

Oak Park

‘ONE VIEW’ ESSAY

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■ Must include first and last names,

■ One-sentence footnote about yourself,

municipality in which you live, phone number (for verification only)

■ Signature details as at left

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Email Ken Trainor at ktrainor@wjinc.com or mail to Wednesday Journal, Viewpoints, 141 S. Oak Park Ave., Oak Park, IL 60302

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ADDRESS 141 S Oak Park Ave., Oak ParkIL 60302 ■ PHONE 708-5248300 EMAIL Dan@OakPark.com ■ ONLINE www.OakPark.com Wednesday Journal is published digitally and in print by Growing Community Media NFP. The newspaper is available on newsstands for $1.00.

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Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

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D I S G R A C E F U L L Y

Late summer melancholy

o laughs today, friends.

I’ve got the blues, and rightfully so, I guess.

I was in the hospital a few weeks ago with a “fever of unknown origin,” and I’m not snapping back very fast. Bummer. How could that be? (No worries, I’ve been vaccinated, tested and retested.)

I can’t even blame Trump, although maybe I can blame him for the hours I spent on the couch for several years watching him try to destroy the country. Apparently outrage does not build muscle mass.

But two other things, unrelated, have laid me low.

The first is the horrific exodus of Afghans fleeing the Taliban, following years of our manipulating and propping up socalled governments in the Middle East. By the way, did you see many (or any) women and girls at the airport?

The other gut-wrencher is the story

about the girl whose body was found in an Oak Park alley after she was raped by a man while she was unconscious.

The rape was posted online by another teenage girl who was present and put the photos on Snapchat. How can someone so young be so defiled? At some point they noticed the victim was dead and they dropped her in the alley.

By the way, I’m well aware that stories like this happen and may often go unreported in the city media. I think it’s always been something of a mystery about what Joseph Conrad was referring to when he wrote “The horror! The horror!” I think I know now, at least in my mind. I guess I choose to know about reality even if I’m powerless to stop it.

I think I’m too old for jury duty, but I’d consider lying through my teeth if I were called in the case of the guy who dumped that girl in the alley.

MARY KAY O’GRADY

Supporting the challenge to redistricting

On Aug. 16, a report was released that Illinois Senate President Don Harmon was recovering from infection by the COVID-19 derivative. He credited the mild symptoms he was experiencing to having been vaccinated earlier this year. I, and all of his district’s constituency wish him a complete and quick recovery.

It was also reported that day that the state’s Republican leadership in the General Assembly were utilizing recently released U.S. Census data to further their and others’ claims that the new legislative district maps adopted earlier this year by the supermajority Democrats violates the rights of minority voters in Illinois.

Although a lifelong Democrat, it’s not hard for me to support the Republicans’ assertion that the new maps will dilute the im-

pact of minority voters in the 2022 elections.

Just think, this could have been avoided if Senator Harmon hadn’t allowed a vote for passage of SJRCA004 2019 to wither on the vine in the last legislative session. That bill, co-sponsored by 17 state senate Democrats, would have amended the state constitution by establishing an independent commission to draw the new legislative districts ahead of the 2022 elections. The Republican challenge and the MALDEF lawsuit could also have been avoided had Governor Pritzker followed through with his threat to veto the maps adopted by the Democrats.

This issue should confront both Gov. Pritzker and a healthy Sen. Harmon during their campaigns for re-election next year.

Chris Donovan Oak Park

Michael Romain’s inspiring columns Growing Community Media NFP is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization

Just a quick note to say that Michael Romain’s columns are truly inspired! And inspiring. When I get my copy of the Wednesday Journal, I always wait until my mind is clear and alert enough to fully take in what he has to say. This latest one about the church and strong-versus-weak ties spoke to

so many of my thoughts and concerns, especially during the isolation of the pandemic.

Thank you so much for your work, Michael.

And thanks to the Wednesday Journal for providing this platform.

Susan Messer Oak Park

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Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

River Forest, get with the program!

There are many things I enjoy about my new hometown of River Forest. Their stance on COVID is not one of them. My former hometown of Oak Park has now mandated masks, regardless of vaccination status, in all public places. “This applies to all businesses, multifamily residential buildings, health-care settings, nursing homes, long-term care facilities, shelters, congregate settings, government buildings and on all forms of public transportation, including in transportation stations and hubs.” (Direct quote from VOP’s site) This is because, as of early August, there has been a 750% uptick in COVID cases.

What the heck is wrong with our elected officials in River Forest? And for those of you who are groaning as you read this, what’s the big deal about wearing a mask? Do you need to be reminded that vaccines are not 100% effective?

That the delta strain is extremely contagious?

That depending upon when you got your shots, your immunity may be wearing off and booster shots aren’t available for everyone yet? That we still do not have a sufficient percentage of the local population vaccinated to bring about herd immunity? And that we aren’t likely to, at the rate we’re going?

Yes, I, too, am suffering from COVID fatigue,

just like the rest of you. But pretending everything is back to normal isn’t the way to get things back to normal. Keep in mind that the “official” COVID statistics only reflect cases that are reported to the guys tallying the statistics. The real stats are likely higher, given that some milder cases are probably not even being reported.

Also, please understand that Darwinism is at work here: Survival of the fittest. COVID viruses will continue to mutate as long as the disease is prevalent. The fittest versions will survive and evolve to become even more viru-

lent. Remember learning about Darwin in grade school science class?

Given the close relationship of our two communities, shouldn’t Oak Park and River Forest be operating in lockstep? River Forest President and Trustees: Please demonstrate some intestinal fortitude and follow Oak Park’s lead. Otherwise we may just all find ourselves back where we started a year ago.

I have to go now. Please excuse me while I head off to Costco to stock up on toilet paper.

Eye on the Net Found while browsing online: “White people say, “You can’t blame us all for slavery and genocide,” but you blame all Muslims for 9/11. How does that work?”

Louise Mezzatesta

Kwame Salter Oak Park

River Forest

Block Party Gets Photo in Newspaper!

Covering the climate crisis

Like many of us, I have become very alarmed about the current climate crisis. The publication of the recent IPCC report has, I believe, brought the awareness of this crises to the public consciousness as never before.

But individual efforts to reduce carbon footprints are now dwarfed by the enormity of what must be done to prevent the disaster.

It is governments that must act — all governments, including smaller ones such as the village of Oak Park.

However, when I searched a recent copy of Wednesday Journal, I found no article on sustainability efforts within village government.

The residents and public in general must be made more aware not only of the coming effects of global warming but, importantly, of the village’s work on this issue.

I request that one of your journalists report, weekly if possible, on the village’s work in regards to the climate crisis.

As the IPCC report implies, the human race is witnessing, now, not only a climate crisis, but really an existential one. All over the world the signs of a climate catastrophe are in full view.

Community consciousness must be raised so that governments may effectively act.

So, as a proud donor to Growing Community Media, I would like to make a second request: Would you create a section of the weekly printed Wednesday Journal devoted to the current climate crisis?

Thanks for considering these requests.

James Dickert Oak Park

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Are you having a Block Party this summer? Invite the Wednesday Journal! We’ll come with some donuts, a few newspapers and we’ll snap a shot of your group for publication.

We can only do one party per week, so reserve your shot today!

Contact Jill Wagner at 708-613-3340 or Jill@OakPark.com

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Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Pro Bono Network: Justice, service, impact

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o many things have changed in our lives in the last 18 months and the number of people in need of legal assistance is greater than ever. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought economic instability to many, and continuing incidents of racial injustice have impacted our lives in many ways.

Through it all, the volunteer attorneys at Pro Bono Network (PBN) have been working tirelessly to help those in need, and are working to train other attorneys to do so as well, at numerous upcoming events in September.

While many of us have experienced unprecedented changes in our personal and work lives this year, lowincome people have felt the impact in the extreme. The access-to-justice gap between those who can afford to hire an attorney and those who cannot has grown larger.

Increasing numbers of people are on the precipice of losing their housing, health care, jobs, education, benefits, and even lives, and do not have access to critical legal assistance.

State and federal eviction moratoriums are slated to end in the near future, potentially putting thousands in the Chicago area at risk of being evicted. And other legal needs persist regardless of the pandemic, including medically vulnerable seniors who wish to obtain critical advance directives to express their end-of-life wishes and victims of domestic violence who wish to obtain protective orders for themselves and their children.

The existence of sometimes decades old criminal records is preventing some people from securing new jobs or obtaining new housing. And Black, Brown and

Latinx communities are impacted with all of these issues at a much higher rate, while also experiencing systemic racial injustices in our legal and economic systems.

Since 2011, Pro Bono Network has provided more than 25,000 hours of free legal services to low-income persons who otherwise would not have had access to critical legal assistance. This year, PBN staff, volunteers, and partner agencies have stepped up in whole new ways, and are creating methods to serve clients in need, remotely and safely, using new technologies and adapting current projects. We have started new programs to address pandemic-related legal needs and racial inequities, including many of those mentioned above.

If you are an attorney who would like to help us seek justice for vulnerable people, we have trainings and opportunities available to get you started. We provide support, backup, and insurance. You provide your time and energy, changing someone’s life at a time when your help is more important than ever.

To learn more, join us at one of our open houses — in person and outdoors on Thursday, Sept. 9 from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. at the Taylor Park Picnic Shelter in Oak Park, or online on Friday, Sept. 10 from noon to 1 p.m. at https:// us06web.zoom.us/j/82646942989?pwd=VmljSER4eHVObE M1MGpWeU82Vmt0dz09.

For more information you can visit pro-bono-network. org or email Sheila Pont, director of programming at sheila.pont@pro-bono-network.org.

Stay safe.

Linda Rio is executive director of Pro Bono Network.

LINDA RIO

One View

From left, bottom row: Kathleen McDonnell, Sharon J. Andrews, Ann Hanson (captain); From left, top row: Chuck Barnato, Chuck Foster, Darlene Dwyer

A great night for bocci

Tuesday night, Aug. 17, was a great night for the six members of Bocci-lissome, the senior (70+) bocci team in River Forest.

Out of 12 teams this season, Bocci-lissome came in second place after a nail-biting game with Rolling Thunder. Bocci-lissome was very good ... but Rolling Thunder was better.

Bocci-lissome was losing 7-2, then the comeback kids’ score (and I use “kids” loosely) began to climb slowly (just as slow as some of their members move).

They scored, one point at a time until they reached 12-7, when Rolling Thunder took first place.

Always spirited, sometimes animated and snappy, that’s the 70+ bocci team in River Forest. These seniors are proud of their accomplishment and have fun participating in the league thanks to their captain, Ann Hanson.

Sharon Andrews River Forest

La Borra Cafe 1100 W. Lake St. #100B, Oak Park (708) 948-7007

Congratulations to La Borra Cafe Oak Park on their opening! laborracafe.com

Among the Celebrants: From La Borra: Claudia Garibay, Jessica Vázquez, Lilian Reyes, Lea Tacher, Carlos Ayuso, Goretti Campbell, Octavio Diaz, Jacqueline Rivera, Alexis Tenezaca, Fernanda Torres, Ivanna Vázquez & Jimena Saavedra. Also: Bob Stelletello, Right at Home Oak Park / Hinsdale / Chicago; David Bores, Vintage Home Restoration; Carla Taylor, Baird & Warner; Chris Griffith, Oak Park Bank; Mark Walden & Liz Holt, OPRF Chamber of Commerce; Michael Glab, Nutriquity; Vicki Scaman, Christina Waters, & Cam Davis, Village of Oak Park. Hutch Hutchinson, Hutchinson; Peg Dowling, Our Planet Automotive; Jake Bucher, Dominican University; Lynn Palmgren, Palmgren Acupuncture; Lita Selmon, EINNIM LLC; Kimberly Augustin, United Real Estate - Chicago. Photos: Todd Bannor, Bannor & Bannor

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Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

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What I learned from Poe’s poetics

This column first ran in 2011: aving spent most of my school days staring out the window, I’m still learning the fundamentals of writing. For example, an editor taught me that quotation marks should be outside the period. Another suggested that voices from multiple sources would spruce up feature stories.

I can always use guidance from editors. Well, except for some who were too brutal with their cuts. The very best editors serve as muses. They inspire me because I want to meet their standards.

I’ve had editors who saved me from being sentenced to journalism jail, by removing lines that would have offended Review readers. I find it ironic, though, that the column which offended the most readers was when I poked fun at our former president.

I miss brainstorming with editors to come up with topics, but it’s been a long time since I’ve had face-to-face meetings in the newsroom. I really miss the direction editors used to give me.

Now I’m getting instruction from an unlikely source: Edgar Allan Poe’s essay, “The Philosophy of Composition.” I think all Forest Park writers could benefit from Edgar’s insights.

He starts out saying, “Either history affords a thesis — or one is suggested by an incident of the day.” In my case, it helps if the incident of the day is a bird getting into the bedroom, the oven starting on fire, or a pipe breaking in the basement.

Edgar says we should first consider the effect of our piece.

Well, that’s easy. I’m looking for any kind of effect that will

take up 600 words. He said to keep originality “always in view.” Well, that’s asking a bit much.

If I can’t steal concepts from other columnists and catchy phrases from my neighbors, how am I going to fill the space?

As for length, Edgar thought we should keep our pieces short enough to be read in one sitting. Not a problem. He planned his poem, “The Raven,” to be 100 lines long but ended up with 108. Such excess verbiage would never have been permitted by “The Review.” We would have cut a few “Nevermores.”

Edgar said we should strive to make our work universally appreciable but I’ll settle for a handful of readers. He says the piece we write should “elevate our souls with its beauty.” Jeez, this guy had high standards. Tone, he said, is all important, which is why I rarely raise my voice in print. I only use all capital letters when I’m sending an angry text.

Poe wasn’t against monotonous repetition if it serves a purpose. Monotony has never bothered me. As for repetition, I often ask myself, “Didn’t I already write this column three years ago?”

To achieve beauty, Edgar suggested several literary devices.

Rhythm, for instance, can make the piece flow. If you’ve seen me dance, you know I’m not acquainted with rhythm. He also favors alliteration. I can tell tall tales about timely topics, without making it sound forced.

The most startling instruction Edgar gave was to compose the ending first. I must have been staring out the window when the nun announced that. My sister’s a teacher and said even her third-graders know that.

JOHN RICE

EDGAR ALLAN POE Finally, we should never burden the reader with the process of constructing the piece. That’s something only a desperate hack would do, if his topic fell apart at the last minute.

Thanks to an e-mail from a faithful reader, I’m going to have something original, beautiful and possibly rhythmic next week.

To avoid tedious discussions of the writing process in the future, I welcome your column suggestions at jrice1038@aol. com.

John Rice writes a weekly column for our sister publication, the Forest Park Review.

De-Clutter.

Advertise your garage sale for just $25 in Wednesday Journal, Forest Park Review and Riverside-Brookfield Landmark

Call Mary Ellen at 708.613.3342

30

Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

O B I T U A R I E S

Patricia Kragie, 90 Nurse, teacher, single mom

When life throws you a financial challenge, you’ve proven you have what it takes to ace it.

Now it’s time to tackle your retirement savings at AceYourRetirement.org

Patricia Caroline Kragie, 90, died on June 9, 2021. Born to Thomas and Caroline “Gammer” Hayes on Nov. 18, 1930, she grew up with her sisters, Laverne and Phylis, in the city of Chicago. They spent their young years laughing, chasing boys, but always maintaining the highest marks in school.

In her adult years, she raised eight children in Oak Park on her own while earning her nursing degree at Lewis University. As a working registered nurse, she taught at the Triton Nursing School, and was a traveling nurse who helped out-of-state areas that were in need of someone like her. She was often asked, “How do you do it? How do you stay so strong, raising this huge family all on your own?” She would reply, “It’s not strength. It’s love. And love makes it easy.”

Pat “Granny” Kragie is survived by five of her eight children, William, Linda, Laura, Michael, and Mary Pat. She was preceded by her other three children, Lawrence, Denise, and Thomas. The title “Granny” was given

by her grandchildren, Shiela, Ryan, Alex, Brigette, William, Jonathan, and Christopher, who were lucky enough to have felt her unequivocal love and support throughout their lives.

While she was humble about most things, she loved to brag about her great-grandchildren, Elon, Jonah, Drew, Wyatt, and Emerich. She would look at pictures and ask, “My goodness, how did I get so lucky?”

A devout Catholic throughout her life, she prayed for safety, protection, and happiness for her family, which asks that you please donate to a charity of your choosing, just as Granny donated to a variety of charities because, as she put it, “it’s the right thing to do, and we can do it.”

Family and friends of Patricia Kragie will be welcomed on Wednesday, Aug. 25 at 10 a.m. for a memorial Mass at Ascension Church, 808 S. East Ave. in Oak Park. A celebration of her life will be held immediately following the Mass to share the love she never lost.

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Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

31

SPORTS

OPRF football looks for first trip to state playoffs since 2018

Tough opener against WheatonWarrenville South Aug. 27

By MELVIN TATE Contributing Reporter

After a 3-3 record during a pandemic shortened season last spring, the Oak Park and River Forest High School football team returns this fall seeking to return to the Illinois High School Association playoffs for the first time since 2018.

Despite losing valuable contributors such as Naahlyee Bryant (now playing at Western Michigan), the Huskies have several returning players that look to restore a tradition of success that has been established during coach John Hoerster’s tenure.

OPRF returns eight starters from the spring, including senior wide receiver Eric Locke, senior running backs Demetrius Dortch and Kelby Gray, junior center Cole Robertson, senior offensive linemen Andrew Delgado and Connor Heinne and senior linebackers Owen Detmer and Henry Spillane.

As was the case in the spring, there is a battle for the starting quarterback job. Hoerster said both junior Jack Gooch and Dortch will split time at the position.

“We’re going to use them in different ways. They’re both really talented kids who can play several positions,” said Hoerster.

The Huskies are home for the first three games (and four of the first five), which normally would mean a good chance to get off to a fast start. However, OPRF faces perennial powerhouse Wheaton-Warrenville South on Aug. 27, followed by Glenbard West on Sept. 10 and Hinsdale Central on Sept. 24.

The latter two teams are widely considered co-favorites in the tough West Suburban Silver Conference.

For now, OPRF is solely focused on Wheaton-Warrenville South in the home opener on Friday night. The Tigers have long been a dominant program in the Chicagoland area, and Hoerster knows they’ll present a serious challenge.

“We’ve got to prepare and take things day-by-day,” Hoerster said. “Wheaton-Warrenville South is a tremendous program.”

One thing is certain, with fans being allowed to return this fall, the Huskies are sure to get a boost from having the

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

GETTING READY: OPRF wide receivers honed their route running in preseason workouts, reps they’ll put into practice when the season kicks off Aug. 27 cheerleaders, drill team, Marching Huskies and Dog Pound student section back inside Oak Park Stadium.

“The kids love being back in school, and the energy (Friday night) is going to be tremendous,” said Hoerster. “I’m excited for not only the players, but the students; they’re excited to have that bit of normalcy back.”

Defense key to Friars’ success this fall

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

ON TARGET: Fenwick quarterback Kaden Cobb is back from an injury that sidelined him last spring and ready to spark the Friars’ offense, which gets its first test Friday against Morgan Park.

After having their first game in the spring with Nazareth Academy canceled due to Covid-19 protocols and subsequent losses to Joliet Catholic and Marmion Academy, the Friars finished last season strong with three consecutive victories, including back-to-back shutouts of Leo and St. Ignatius.

Fenwick’s defense was the key to those wins and with eight returning starters, including Minnesota State recruit Jacque Walls, a cornerback, Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia believes it’s carried the momentum over to fall camp.

“Their football IQ is off the charts,” he said of the defense.

“They’re college-level smart.”

The Friars’ offense largely struggled during the spring, especially once quarterback Kaden Cobb went down with an injury. But the senior, who has committed to Ball State University, is now healthy and hoping to provide a spark to the unit, which has two other NCAA Division I commits in wide receivers Eian Pugh (Illinois) and Max Reese (Eastern Michigan).

“We’re still a work in progress. We’ve got a lot of things to clean up,” said Battaglia after a scrimmage Aug. 20. “I think we showed flashes, [but] we’ve got to make sure all sides are clicking at the same time. Then we have a chance to be real special.”

The Friars face another difficult schedule, opening at home at Triton College on Aug. 27 against Morgan Park, which features plenty of young talent that is drawing the attention of several major college recruiters.

“People are saying [Morgan Park] should be a win, but we know they’re going to be a good, well-coached team and we’re expecting a good, hard-fought game,” Battaglia said.

Other notable games for the Friars are at home versus Notre Dame on Sept.3, at Providence on Sept. 10, and home against Loyola Academy on Sept. 24.

Fenwick will compete in the Chicago Catholic League/ East Suburban Catholic Conference White division along with De La Salle, Marmion and St. Ignatius.

32

S P O R T S

Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Youthful Huskies return ‘high-caliber talent’ All-conference soph Nelson leads OPRF front line

By MELVIN TATE

setter Maeve Welsh and sophomore setter Lola Tortorello. Another player to watch is senior middle blocker Audrey Hinrichs.

The Friars will need contributions from every player as they navigate through a schedule that includes four big tournaments and matches against Loyola, Montini, Mother McAuley, New Trier, St. Ignatius, and OPRF.

Contributing Reporter

The pandemic played havoc on the girls volleyball schedule last year. The season was delayed until spring and, even then, the road was rough, particularly for the Oak Park and River Forest High School squad, which saw several matches canceled due to COVID-19 protocols.

While OPRF doesn’t possess a lot of experience, head coach Kelly Collins is optimistic about the season.

“What we lack in game experience, we will make up with our talent, speed, and versatility,” said Collins, in her sixth season leading the Huskies. “The kids come to practice every day willing to work hard and compete, and we’re seeing improvement each day.”

Sophomore Grace Nelson looks to pick up where she left off in the spring, when she was named to the West Suburban All-Conference team. She had 113 kills in 10 matches and Collins describes her as a powerhouse.

Other OPRF returnees are junior setter Molly Brown, junior middle hitter Reese Garland, senior middle hitter Rebecca Gutierrez, senior libero Ella Olson, and senior outside hitter Cate Wollmuth. The Huskies also are looking for contributions from newcomers Keira Kleidon and Skai Tune.

“We return a solid core who bring a high level of experience and high-caliber play from their club seasons,” Collins said. “We have a very competitive and multi-talented group of underclassmen that we anticipate will have a huge impact on our team from the start.”

OPRF has 13 matches during the first two weeks of the season, so the team will find out quickly where they are early. Collins says the Huskies’ goal every year is to win the West Suburban Silver - something that is easier said than done.

“It’s one of the toughest in the state; there are no easy opponents or matches,” said Collins of the conference. “We’re looking to be in the top three.”

Trinity leans on experience in 2021

ALEX ROGALS/Staff Photographer

ONE TO WATCH: OPRF sophomore Grace Nelson (foreground) returns after being named an all-conference player as a freshman with 113 kills in 10 matches. She leads a returning squad full of young, but talented players.

Fenwick hopes to build on strong spring The Friars had a good showing during the spring, posting a 7-4 record with a thirdplace finish in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference Red Division.

Entering her 10th season as head coach, Kathleen O’Laughlin likes where her team is

g n a H e r e in th k r a P k a O

this fall, given the large amount of returnees.

“We’ve been starting a few underclassmen the last three years, so this year we have an older and more experienced group,” she said. “We have a great group of kids that love playing the game and competing.”

Fenwick’s top returning players are senior outside hitter Elise Heneghan, junior outside hitter Shannon O’Laughlin, junior

The Blazers volleyball team had a strong spring, finishing with an 8-2 record. The only losses came at the hands of Resurrection, and those were three-set matches.

But head coach Ken Uhlir isn’t sure how much momentum will carry over to this fall.

“Because we played only 10 conference matches in the spring, we really don’t know what to expect once we play a more difficult schedule,” said Uhlir, in his eighth season. “It kind of feels like starting over because we don’t have the depth of experience we’d normally have from the previous season.”

That said, Trinity has several key returning players, including seniors Megan Murphy, Eileen Weber, and Bridget Whiteside, as well as junior Maddie Breunig.

“Eileen is a four-year starting libero and brings a wealth of experience and IQ. She’s the best libero I’ve coached in my years at Trinity,” Uhlir said. “Bridget was a GCAC All-Conference setter [as a freshman] on a team that was 28-9 and regional champions.”

If there is a concern for the Blazers, it’s a lack of height. At 5-foot-11, Breunig is the tallest girl on the roster. Yet, Uhlir likes what she brings and thinks she’ll play a critical role in the team’s fortunes this fall.

“Maddie’s grown into a reliable and powerful offensive threat,” he said. “Our success this season will depend on being able to get her the ball as much as possible. If she can handle the load, we’ll be a tough team.”

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Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

33

Let the sun shine in...

Public Notice: Your right to know In print • Online • Available to you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, every day of the year OakPark.com | RiverForest.com | PublicNoticeIllinois.com

Deadline is Monday at 5:00 p.m.

HOURS: 9:00 A.M.– 5:00 P.M. MON–FRI

BY PHONE: (708) 613-3333 | BY FAX: (708) 467-9066 | BY E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@OAKPARK.COM | CLASSIFIEDS@RIVERFOREST.COM PUBLIC NOTICES RESOLUTION R - 2021 A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE LEVY OF ADDITIONAL TAX FOR LIBRARY PURPOSES IN THE VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD, ILLINOIS WHEREAS, the Board of Library Trustees of the Village of Brookfield has requested the corporate authorities of the Village of Brookfield to levy an additional tax of 0.02% for certain library purposes, pursuant to Article 3 of the Illinois Local Library Act [75 ILCS 5/1-0.1 et seq. (2016)]; and WHEREAS, this 0.02% additional tax shall be in addition to the annual levy of .35% allowed for the establishment and maintenance of the library.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE VILLAGE PRESIDENT AND BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE VILLAGE OF BROOKFIELD, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS, as follows: Section 1: The corporate authorities of the Village of Brookfield herewith determine to levy an additional 0.02% tax for library purposes for the tax year commencing January 1, 2021.

Section 2: Such 0.02% additional tax shall be levied on the value of all taxable property in the Village of Brookfield, as equalized or assessed by the Department of Revenue, and shall be used for the purpose of sites and buildings, for the construction and equipment of buildings, for the rental of buildings required for library purposes, and for maintenance, repairs and alterations of library buildings and equipment.

Section 3: The levy of said additional 0.02% tax shall be effected by the adoption of an appropriate levy ordinance by the corporate authorities pursuant to statutory requirements, which ordinance shall be filed in the office of the Cook County Clerk.

Section 4: The Village Clerk is hereby authorized and directed to publish a copy of this Resolution at least once in the Riverside/Brookfield Landmark, a newspaper with a general circulation in the Village of Brookfield, within fifteen (15) days after its adoption, and also the “Public Notice” attached hereto as “Exhibit A” hereof, shall be included with such publication or posting.

Section 5: If no petition is filed with the corporate authorities of the Village of Brookfield within thirty (30) days after publication of this resolution, requesting that the question of the adoption of this resolution be submitted to the electors of the Village of Brookfield, or if all petitions so filed are determined to be invalid and insufficient, the Village shall then be authorized to levy the tax.

However, if a petition is filed with the corporate authorities within said thirty (30) day period, which petition is signed by electors of the Village of Brookfield equal in number to 10% of the total number of registered voters in the Village of Brookfield and which asks that the question of levying such a 0.02% tax be sub-

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

mitted to the electors of the Village, SUBDIVISION OF THE EAST 1/2 then the question shall be submitted OF THE NORTHWEST 1/4 OF at the next applicable election, or at SECTION 6, VILLAGESHIP 38 any special election called in accorNORTH, RANGE 13 EAST OF dance with law. The Village Clerk THE THIRD PRINCIPAL MERIDIshall provide a petition form to any AN, TOGETHER WITH: BLOCK 1 individual requesting one.

(EXCEPT THE NORTHEAST 1/4 THEREOF), BLOCKS 2, 4, 5 AND

BLOCK 6 (EXCEPT THE NORTHSection 6: This Resolution shall WEST 1/4 AND EXCEPT THE be in full force and effect immediateSOUTH 156 FEET OF THE EAST ly upon its adoption.

152 FEET THEREOF) BLOCK 7 (EXCEPT THE NORTH 1/2 AND EXCEPT THE NORTH 30 FEET ADOPTED this 23rd day of August, OF THE SOUTH 1/2 THEREOF 2021 pursuant to a roll call vote as LYING EAST OF THE EAST LINE follows: OF ALLEY) BLOCKS 8 AND 9 AND THE NORTH 249.19 FEET OF THE AYES: Ketchmark, Hendricks, WEST 1/2 OF BLOCK 10 AND ALL Conroy, Cote, LeClere, and OF BLOCK 11 IN COOK COUNTY, Kaluzny ILLINOIS; with PIN’s: 19-06-102NAYS: None 007-0000, 19-06-102-008-0000, 19ABSENT: None 06-102-009-0000, 19-06-102-010ABSTENTION: None 0000 (collectively, the “Property”).

This notice is directed to all owners, APPROVED by me this 23rd day of lienholders and all other parties with August, 2021. a current legal or equitable interest /s/ Michael P. Garvey, President in the Property (collectively, the of the Village of Brookfield, Cook “Parties”). Parties are responsible County, Illinois for remedying these Property conditions; if you do not repair, demolish ATTESTED and filed in my office or enclose the buildings and remove this 23rd day of August, 2021. all garbage and debris from around /s/ Brigid Weber, Clerk of the Village the buildings within thirty (30) days of Brookfield, Cook County, Illinois from the date of this notice, the Village shall be authorized, intends “EXHIBIT A” to and will take action to eliminate these hazards. THIS ACTION WILL PUBLIC NOTICE INCLUDE DEMOLITION OF THE The public is hereby notified reBUILDING(S). You are further nogarding the above “Resolution autified that should the Village be rethorizing the levy of additional tax quired to take the necessary action for library purposes in the Village of to eliminate the hazards caused Brookfield, Illinois” determining to by these buildings, the owner(s) of Levy for the tax year beginning Janrecord shall be liable for all costs uary 1, 2021 an Additional Tax of up incurred by the Village; the Village to 0.02 Percent of Equalized or Aswill record a lien for its costs and sessed Value of Taxable Property for will seek recovery of costs by foreParticular Building and Equipment closing the lien. You have the right Purposes in accordance with Article to object to the Village taking this 3 of the Illinois Local Library Act [75 action by filing legal action in a court ILCS 5/1-0.1 et seq. (2016)] that: of competent jurisdiction including 1. The specific number of voters refiling a complaint in the Municipal quired to sign a petition requesting Division of the Circuit Court of Cook that the question of adoption of the County and serving the Clerk of Resolution be submitted to the electhe Village of Stickney. If you have tors of the Village is 1,376 voters. questions about this procedure, con2. The time in which the petition sult a lawyer. You may also contact must be filed is from the date of pubBuilding Inspector Josh Brniak, the lication of this Resolution until 30 Village of Stickney, 6533 Pershing days hereof, being the 24th day of Rd., Stickney, IL 60402 (p 708-749September, 2021.

4400) regarding remediation. This is 3. The date of the prospective refera legal notice published pursuant to endum, if one should be called purIllinois Compiled Statutes 65 ILCS suant to such petition, is the Primary 5/11-31-1(e).

Published in RB Landmark Election, held Tuesday the 28th day August 25, 2021 of June 2022.

4. The Village Clerk shall provide PUBLIC NOTICE a petition form to any individual reNotice is hereby given, pursuant questing one. to “An Act in relation to the use of Published in RB Landmark an Assumed Business Name in the August 25, 2021 conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that LEGAL NOTICE OF DEMOLITION a certification was registered by To All Parties of Interest in Re the undersigned with the County Property at 6915 West Pershing Clerk of Cook County. Registration Road, Stickney, in Cook CounNumber: Y21007543 on August 5, ty, Illinois 60402: The Village of 2021 Under the Assumed Business Stickney has determined that the Name of TOBY ZUCKER JEWbuilding(s) on the following properELRY DESIGN with the business ty is VACANT AND OPEN AND AN located at: 202 N KENILWORTH IMMEDIATE AND CONTINUING AVE STE 2, OAK PARK, IL 60302.

HAZARD TO THE SURROUNDThe true and real full name(s) and ING COMMUNITY and that such residence address of the owner(s)/ needs to be demolished: common partner(s) is: TOBY SHORE 202 N street address 6915 West PershKENILWORTH AVE STE 2, OAK ing Road, Stickney, IL 60402; with PARK, IL 60302, USA. Legal Description: LOTS 5, 6, 7, 8 Published in Wednesday Journal AND 9 IN BLOCK 2 IN OAK PARK August 18, 25, September 1, 2021 AVENUE SUBDIVISION BEING A SUBDIVISION OF THE FOLLOWING BLOCKS AND PARTS OF BLOCKS IN B. F. SHOTWELL’S

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

PUBLIC NOTICES

LEGAL NOTICE STATE OF ILLINOIS) COUNTY OF COOK )ss Circuit Court of Cook County, County Department, Domestic Relations Division.

In re the marriage of ADEKUNLE AYANNEYE, Petitioner and KOWAII MATTHEW Respondent, Case No. 21D630026.

The requisite affidavit for publication having been filed, notice is hereby given to you, the above named Respondent, that a Petition has been filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, by the Petitioner, for Dissolution of Marriage and for other relief; and that said suit is now pending.

Now, therefore, unless you, the said Respondent, file your response to said Petition or otherwise make your appearance therein, in the Office of the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Room 802, Richard J. Daley Center, 50 West Washington Street, in the City of Chicago, Illinois, on or before September 20, 2021, default may be entered against you at any time after that day, and a judgment for Dissolution of Marriage entered in accordance with the prayer of said Petition.

DOROTHY A. BROWN, Clerk.

Published in Wednesday Journal August 18, 25, September 1, 2021

PUBLIC NOTICE Notice is hereby given, pursuant to “An Act in relation to the use of an Assumed Business Name in the conduct or transaction of Business in the State,” as amended, that a certification was registered by the undersigned with the County Clerk of Cook County. Registration Number: Y21007583 on August 11, 2021 Under the Assumed Business Name of BILL & GILL’S PROPERTY MAINTENANCE with the business located at: 4112 SUNNYSIDE AVE, BROOKFIELD, IL 60513. The true and real full name(s) and residence address of the owner(s)/partner(s) is: MATTHEW DAVID GILL 4112 SUNNYSIDE AVE, BROOKFIELD, IL 60513, USA WILLIAM JOSEPH PRASCH, 2240 TERRY LN W, BROADVIEW, IL 60155, USA. Published in RB Landmark August 18, 25, September 1, 2021

local employees . . . happy employees!

Hire Local.

Place an ad on Wednesday Classified’s Local Online Job Board.

Go to OakPark.com/classified today!

Contact Mary Ellen Nelligan for more information.

(708) 613-3342 • maryellen@oakpark.com

PUBLIC NOTICE OF COURT DATE FOR REQUEST FOR NAME CHANGE STATE OF ILLINOIS, CIRCUIT COURT COOK COUNTY. Request of STEFAN WLADYSLAW SUCHAN Case Number 2021 CONC 001009 There will be a court date on my Request to change my name from: STEFAN W SUCHAN to the new name of: STEVE W SUCHAN The court date will be held: On November 5, 2020 at 1:30 p.m. at Daley Center in Courtroom # 2503 via Zoom.

Published in RB Landmark August 18, 25, September 1, 2021

Find Help Wanted & Marketplace listings on the next page!

34

Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

CLASSIFIED

(708) 613-3333 • FAX: (708) 467-9066 • E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@OAKPARK.COM | CLASSIFIEDS@RIVERFOREST.COM HELP WANTED

Village of Brookfield

Imagine being a role model to children in the local community! If you are at your best in a child and student centered environment, when promoting learning and fun, are safety minded and you aim to make a difference in the lives of kids; please take the next step and apply to one of these exciting part-time roles in the Recreation Department:

• STARS Instructor, Before & After School Program ($11-$14 per hour) • Lead Teacher, Tots Prep Program ($12-$14 per hour) • Assistant Teacher, Tots Prep Program ($11-$12 per hour) Apply through the Careers link on the Village of Brookfield homepage.

PART TIME DRIVER ASAP

Local company looking for part time driver/warehouse. Must be drug free & have valid IL DL. Must be able to lift 75lb. $13/hr Email resume to HR@SIEVERTELECTRIC.COM

BUDGET & REVENUE ANALYST

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Budget and Revenue Analyst in the Finance Department. This position will Serve the public with professional administrative and analytical duties in the areas of budget preparation, purchasing, payroll, data analysis and process improvement. Provides, prepares and maintains records, and financial and statistical reports and analysis which assist in the Village’s ability to improve business processes and gain efficiencies through better use of technology. Budget duties include assisting in the development, analysis and application of performance measures with regard to Village services and resources; preparing, modifying, tracking and monitoring Village expenses and transfers; grants, and conducting budget-related research and analysis. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oak-park.us/jobs.

Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. First review of applications August 27, 2021.

HORTICULTURE SUPERVISOR – PARK DISTRICT OF OAK PARK

The Park District is actively looking for a Full-Time Horticulture Supervisor. We offer a competitive compensation package with a starting salary of $49,513.00 + based on experience and qualifications. Our benefit package includes medical, dental, vision, life insurance, flexible spending account, IMRF Pension, $300 reimbursement for wellness related activities, vacation, holidays, sick time and personal days.

The Horticulture Supervisor oversees the daily maintenance of the Park Districts landscape beds and natural areas. Landscape operations include: performing maintenance such as weeding, mulching, planting, pruning, watering, and fall and spring cleanup.

The Horticulture Supervisor assists in the design, organization, and scheduling of landscape area plantings to create healthy habitats.

Additionally, operations include: hiring, training, scheduling, and leading the horticulture team in proper horticulture maintenance practices.

Review the complete job description and apply online –https:// www.pdop.org/jobs https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/ jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=38634&clientkey=41D8300184906117978771C10E755DC6 The Park District of Oak Park is an Equal Opportunity Employer!

PAID-ON-CALL FIREFIGHTER Job Title: Paid-on-Call Firefighter Description: The Village of Riverside Fire Department is seeking applicants for the position of Paid-on-Call Firefighter.

Additional Status Information: This is not a full-time position.

Qualifications: - In good physical condition - Reside within 1.5 miles of the boundaries of the Village of Riverside at time of appointment - Be 18 years of age at the time of application - Possess a high school diploma or GED - Possess a valid driver’s license with a good driving record Miscellaneous Applications are reviewed in October 2021.

Application deadline is Friday, October 8th, 2021.

The Village of Riverside is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

BUDGET & REVENUE ANALYST

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Budget and Revenue Analyst in the Finance Department. This position will Serve the public with professional administrative and analytical duties in the areas of budget preparation, purchasing, payroll, data analysis and process improvement. Provides, prepares and maintains records, and financial and statistical reports and analysis which assist in the Village’s ability to improve business processes and gain efficiencies through better use of technology. Budget duties include assisting in the development, analysis and application of performance measures with regard to Village services and resources; preparing, modifying, tracking and monitoring Village expenses and transfers; grants, and conducting budget-related research and analysis. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oak-park.us/jobs.

Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. First review of applications August 27, 2021.

PARKING ENFORCMENT OFFICER

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Parking Enforcement Officer in the Police Department Field Services Division. This position will perform a variety of duties and responsibilities involved in the enforcement of Village parking regulations; and to provide general information and assistance to the public. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http://www.oak-park.us/. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application.

PART TIME HELP WANTED

SPOTLESS CARWASH at 7343 Roosevelt and 7802 Madison St in Forest Park is in need of an attendant. We are looking for someone who likes to be outside and is friendly and likes people.

The duties are to meet and greet customers, make change, sell tokens, automatic and self serve wash instructions, keep the lot, equipment room, and perimeter clean, and empty garbage cans.

Pay is $11.00 per hour. The hours an attendant is on duty are 9 – 11 and 12 – 5 on weekdays, 9 – 11:30 and 12 – 4 on Saturday and Sunday. If you can fit any of these hours on a part time basis we can work with you.

Please come to 7343 Roosevelt Rd. in Forest Park to pick up anapplication. 708-771-2945.

Thank you

BUDGET AND REVENUE ANALYST

The Village of Oak Park is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Budget and Revenue Analyst in the Development Customer Service Department. This position will Serve the public with professional administrative and analytical duties in the areas of budget preparation, purchasing, payroll, data analysis and process improvement. Provides, prepares and maintains records, and financial and statistical reports and analysis which assist in the Village’s ability to improve business processes and gain efficiencies through better use of technology. Budget duties include assisting in the development, analysis and application of performance measures with regard to Village services and resources; preparing, modifying, tracking and monitoring Village expenses and transfers; and conducting budget-related research and analysis. Applicants are encouraged to visit the Village of Oak Park’s website http:// www.oak-park.us/jobs. Interested and qualified applicants must complete a Village of Oak Park application. First review of applications August 16, 2021..

HIRING BONUS! HEPHZIBAH DAY CARE PROGRAM SITE SUPERVISOR

Hephzibah Children’s Association offers after school day care on site at each of the Oak Park elementary schools.

The Day Care Program is accepting applications for a Site Supervisor for the 2021-2022 school year to provide supervision to childcare staff as well as care and supervision of 5-11-year-old children.

Regular days and hours are Monday through Friday from 2:30 6:00 PM, Wednesday 1:30 – 6:00 PM. Additional hours on school closing days, in coordination with the school district calendar. May work other hours during school holidays and for staff meetings.

Associate degree in child development or early childhood education, or the equivalent in child development or education desired.

Previous experience working with children required.

Program starts mid-August and runs through the school year.

Additional hours for staff meetings and on school closing days in coordination with the school district calendar.

Contact MJ Joyce at: mjjoyce@hephzibahhome.org Equal Opportunity Employer We are an inclusive employer and welcome people from all backgrounds to apply

CROSSING GUARD

The Forest Park Police Department is seeking qualified individuals for the position of Crossing Guard. This position requires flexible hours during days when schools are in session. A background investigation and drug screening will be conducted prior to consideration for the position. Applications available at Village Hall, 517 Desplaines Avenue or on-line at www.forestpark.net and should be returned to Vanessa Moritz, HR Director, at Village Hall. For additional information, contact Dora Murphy at 708-615-6223 or write dmurphy@forestpark.net.

Applications accepted until position is filled. EOE.

Hephzibah Children’s Association Hephzibah Children’s Association is a social service agency in Oak Park, IL with a variety of programs including Residential Group Homes. Our mission is “To help children thrive and families flourish through innovative community-based programs”.

Join our team now and you will be eligible for a signing bonus paid in installments (must be active at time of payout).

Residential Counselor - full time and part time positions - Signing Bonus

Residential Supervisor - full time and part time - Signing Bonus

We are currently seeking candidates to work in our residential Group Homes program. You will provide physically and emotionally nurturing care to children who have trauma histories in a structured therapeutic environment that provides consistency and predictability in a community-based setting.

We have a several part time and full time shifts available including, overnight, mornings, afternoons/evenings and weekend shifts.

Shifts include: • Full time weekdays -4-10 hours shifts: Noon-10:00 pm and every third weekend • Full time overnights - Saturday-Tuesday 9:00pm-7:00 am • Part time weekends - flexible, but includes morning & evening shifts on Saturdays & Sundays • Part time: Friday and Saturday, noon-10pm and Sunday, 7:00am-noon Flexibility to work additional shifts if needed, is desired.

Requirements include: • Bachelor’s degree • Must be at least 21 years old • Experience working with special needs children • Experience writing Medicaid notes a plus • Valid IL drivers license • Sensitivity and responsiveness to the cultural differences in the staff and client populations

We are currently seeking supervisor candidates to work in our residential Group Homes program. You will provide supervision to the staff and physically and emotionally nurturing care to children with trauma history in a structured therapeutic environment that provides consistency and predictability in a community-based setting.

We have a several part time and full time shifts available including, overnight, mornings, afternoons/ evenings and weekend shifts.

Shifts include: • Full time overnight – Wed-Saturday 9:00pm-7:00am • Part time – weekends Friday, Saturday, Sunday days • Part time – various days/times Flexibility to work additional shifts if needed, is desired.

Requirements include: • Bachelor’s degree • Must be at least 21 years old • Supervisory experience • Experience working with special needs children • Experience writing Medicaid notes a plus • Valid IL driver’s license • Sensitivity and responsiveness to the cultural differences in the staff and client populations

Equal Opportunity Employer Hephzibah Children’s Association is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply. We value, advocate for and support an inclusive, respectful, multicultural, environment for employees and the clients we serve.

HIRING BONUS!

Part Time Positions Available for 2021-22 school year

AFTER-SCHOOL RECREATION / DAY CARE WORKER YOUTH DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST ON SITE AT OAK PARK PUBLIC SCHOOLS

The Day Care Program of Hephzibah Children’s Association is accepting applications for nurturing individuals to provide care and supervision of 5-11-year-old children in the After School Day Care program on site at Oak Park public schools. The days and hours are Mon – Fri from 2:30-6:00 PM and 2:00-6:00 PM on Wednesdays.

Plan and supervise arts and crafts, indoor & outdoor play, games, sports, homework help and more.

Requirements include: -previous experience working with children -6 semester hours in education, recreation, social work or related college courses desired Program starts mid-August and runs through the 2021-22 school year.

MARKETPLACE WANTED TO BUY WANTED MILITARY ITEMS: Helmets, medals, patches, uniforms, weapons, flags, photos, paperwork, Also toy soldiers – lead, plastic – other misc. toys.

Call Uncle Gary 708-522-3400 Lost & Found, Items for Sale, and To Be Given Away ads run free in Wednesday Classified. To place your ad, call 708-613-334

CARS WANTED

Contact MJ Joyce at mjjoyce@hephzibahhome.org Equal Opportunity Employer We are an inclusive employer and welcome people from all backgrounds to apply

CLASSICS WANTED CLASSICS Restored or Restored or Unrestored Unrestored

Cars Motorcycles Cars & & Vintage Vintage Motorcycles Domestic / Import Import Cars: Cars: Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Mercedes, Porsche, Corvette, Ferrari’s, MuscleCars, Cars, Ferrari’s,Jaguars, Jaguars, Muscle Mustang && Mopars Mopars Mustang Top $$ Etc. $$$$Top $$allallmakes, makes, Etc.

Collector James Collector James 630-201-8122 630-201-8122

CLASSICS WANTED

Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

CLASSIFIED

(708) 613-3333 • FAX: (708) 467-9066 • E-MAIL: CLASSIFIEDS@OAKPARK.COM | CLASSIFIEDS@RIVERFOREST.COM R E N TA L S & R E A L E S TAT E

MARKETPLACE GARAGE/YARD SALES North Riverside

GARAGE SALE 2528 S 9TH AVE SAT 8/28 AND SUN 8/29 • 8AM TO 3PM TOO MUCH TO LIST!

35

ITEMS FOR SALE

OFFICE /RETAIL FOR RENT

MUST SELL - CANTILEVER PATIO UMBRELLA - TOO BIG FOR OUR PATIO

Oak Park

GARAGE SALE 639 N RIDGELAND (PARKING PAD ACCESSED FROM ALLEY) SAT 9/3 AND SUN 9/4 • 9AM TO 3PM

CALL (708) 488-8122

WHIRLPOOL WASHING MACHINE RUNS WELL. $75.00 CURIO CABINET W/ GLASS SHELVES 76”H X 32”W X 12”D $75.00

Furniture, cooking and baking utensils, flatware, glassware, assorted household items

CALL 708-485-0447

R E N TA L S & R E A L E S TAT E SUBURBAN RENTALS Apartment listings updated daily at:

Forest Park Townhouse

RIVER FOREST–7777 Lake St. * 1116 sq. ft. * 1400 sq. ft. Dental Office RIVER FOREST–7756 Madison St. * 960 sq. ft.

OAK PARK–6142-44 Roosevelt Rd. * 3 & 5 room office suites FOREST PARK–7736 Madison St. *2500 sq. ft. unit Strand & & Browne Strand Browne 708-488-0011 708-488-0011

Tan “Sunnyglade Deluxe” 10x13 ft Umbrella. Includes 4: square, base plate wgt.by “Best Choice Products” $200

NEXT WEEK GARAGE/YARD SALES

SUBURBAN REAL ESTATE

2 SPACES FOR RENT IN SHOPPING CENTER: From 1,000 Sq. Ft. -TO- 1,635 Sq. Ft. (END CAP) Perfect fit for CLEANERS

ROOMS FOR RENT Large Sunny Room with fridge, microwave. Near Green line, bus, Oak Park, 24 hour desk, parking lot. $125.00. New Mgmt.

312-212-1212

BOTH: Very good Condition. Recently Updated. *Heavy traffic area; Serious inquires ONLY. **Special Discounted Rates-Limited Time!

If Leave message, Include: Your Name, Phone Number and Type of Business.

TEXT OR CALL: (708)828-6491

Principals ONLY 3 BR, 3 BA Desirable townhouse in Forest Park. 2 car heated, attached garage with extra storage. Many upgrades. Ceiling fans with lighting included. Gas & wood burning fireplace. End unit with extra windows.

Hardwood floors. Close to public transportation. $418,000 • 2500 square feet

OFFICE /RETAIL FOR RENT OFFICE SPACE FOR RENT THERAPY OFFICE OAK PARK

Find your new apartment this Saturday from 10 am – 4pm at 35 Chicago Avenue.

Or call us toll free at 1-833-440-0665 for an appointment.

Free wifi; flexible leasing, and offices nicely furnished right down to the Kleenex. Secure building & friendly colleagues, often giving referrals to other office mates.

Shared Waiting room, Conference room & option to join Peer Supervision Group. Ideal for new practice or 2nd location.

708-383-0729

HOME SERVICES CEMENT

STUDIOS, 1, 2 & 3 BR Best Selection & Service

OAK PARK & FOREST PARK

708-386-7355

MMpropMgmt.com BERWYN DELUXE 5 RMS

Deluxe 5 RMS, 2 BDRMS, close to train and hospital. Includes heat, water, all appliances, laundry facility, parking. Just painted, new blinds. $1200/mo.

Sec. dep. 1 mo. Credit Check.

BROKER

708-347-2500

CITY RENTALS AUSTIN RENAISSANCE APARTMENTS

A HUD subsidized affordable Apartment property announces the opening of its waiting list for both One and Two Bedroom Apartments! Resident rent is approximately 30% of gross household income, some restrictions apply. Our property is located on Washington Blvd in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.

Apartments offered with an occupancy of one to four persons. Properties feature modern kitchens, include appliances, and offer onsite maintenance. Austin Renaissance will accept requests for application packages by U.S. Mail postmarked no later than , September 15, 2021. Send or email a written request for an application package that includes your name, mailing address. Daytime telephone number, Email address, and the number of persons in your household to: Town Center Realty Group LLC, PO Box 64, Huntley IL 60142-0064 or Email requests to mrpaul.tcrg@gmail.com Application packages available by mail or email delivery only. No walk-ins accepted.

Town Center Realty Group LLC

CEMENT

MAGANA

C O N C R E T E C O N S T RU C T I O N “QUALITY IS OUR FOUNDATION” ESTABLISHED IN 1987

COMMERCIAL INDUSTRIAL RESIDENTIAL

708.442.7720 '5,9(:$<6 )281'$7,216 3$7,26 67(36 &85% *877(56 6,'(:$/.6 612: 3/2:,1* 67$03(' &2/25(' $**5(*$7( &21&5(7( FREE ESTIMATES LICENSED, BONDED & INSURED

ELECTRICAL Ceiling Fans Installed

ELECTRICAL

A&A ELECTRIC

Let an American Veteran do your work

We install plugs for battery-operated vehicles We fix any electrical problem and do small jobs We install Surge Protectors • Home Re-wiring • New Plugs & Switches Added • New circuit breaker boxes • Code violations corrected Service upgrades,100-200 amp • Garage & A/C lines installed Fast Emergency Service | Residential • Commercial • Industrial Free Home Evaluations | Lic. • Bonded • Ins. • Low Rates • Free Est.

708-409-0988 • 708-738-3848 Sr. Discounts • 30 Yrs. Exp. Servicing Oak Park • All surrounding suburbs • Chicago area

FLOORS

LANDSCAPING

KLIS FLOORING INC.

BRUCE LAWN SERVICE

New hardwood flooring installation & pergo. Sanding, re-finishing, staining. Low prices, insured.

Call: 773-671-4996 www.klisflooring.com

HANDYMAN Mike’s Home Repair Drywall H Painting H Tile Plumbing H Electric H Floors Windows H Doors H Siding Ask Us What We Don’t Do

708-296-2060

CURT'S HANDYMAN SERVICE

Spring Clean-Up Aerating, Slit Seeding Bush Trimming, Lawn Maintenance brucelawns.com

708-243-0571

NEIGHBORHOOD CLEAN UP

Evergreen trimming & more. Clean-ups.

Garden weed removal.

Storm Branch Tree Removal.

708-447-1762

PAINTING & DECORATING CLASSIC PAINTING

Fast & Neat Painting/Taping/Plaster Repair Low Cost

708.749.0011

PLASTERING McNulty Plastering & Stucco Co.

Small & big work. Free estimates.

Complete Plaster, Stucco & Re-Coating Services

708/386-2951 • ANYTIME Work Guaranteed

Licensed, Bonded, Insured, & EPA Certified Expert craftsmanship for over 50 years

Drywall Repair • Painting Fans Installed • Carpentry Trim Gutter Cleaning • Window Repair

FREE ESTIMATES Excellent References No Job Too Small

708-488-9411

HANDYMAN Roofing Repairs Concrete Repairs • Drywall All types of handiwork Call For Free Estimates

773-637-0692 Ask for John

HAULING BASEMENT CLEANING

Appliances & Furniture Removal Pickup & Delivery.

708-848-9404

YOUR WEEKLY AD

REACHES SIX SUBURBAN COMMUNITIES: OAK PARK, RIVER FOREST,FOREST PARK, BROOKFIELD, RIVERSIDE, NORTH RIVERSIDE, AND PARTS OF CHICAGO

36

Wednesday Journal, August 25, 2021

OAKPARK.COM | RIVERFOREST.COM

Homebrew.

BairdWarner.com

167 Linden Ave Oak Park | $874,900 Patricia McGowan

1128 N. Oak Park Ave Oak Park | $799,000 Keller Group Chicago

944 N. Euclid Ave Oak Park | $749,900 Lois Bonaccorsi

310 N. Cuyler Ave Oak Park | $699,900 Patricia McGowan

1133 Elgin Ave Forest Park | $599,000 Roman Lewis

428 S. Grove Ave Oak Park | $599,000 Hannah Gillespie

531 S. Ridgeland Ave Oak Park | $499,000 Keller Group Chicago

439 N. Taylor Ave Oak Park | $479,000 Carla Taylor

320 S. Maple Ave, Unit C Oak Park | $450,000 Elizabeth O’Connell

823 Hayes Ave Oak Park | $449,000 Keller Group Chicago

1193 S. Grove Ave #8 Oak Park | $395,000 Marvis Donalson

130 Frank Lloyd Wright Ln Oak Park | $349,000 Bobbi Eastman

1022 Troost Ave Forest Park | $299,000 Carla Taylor

6452 28th St Berwyn | $265,000 Bobbi Eastman

1539 Franklin Ave #1 River Forest | $240,000 Mary Carlin

426 S. Lombard Ave #306 Oak Park | $215,000 Cathy Yanda

417 Edgewood Pl #2 River Forest | $160,000 Vivian Jones

8023 Lake St #2 River Forest | $158,900 Vanessa Willey

225 N. Grove Ave, Unit G Oak Park | $149,900 David Stanger

226 N. Oak Park Ave #3N Oak Park | $145,000 Edward Bellock

Baird & Warner Oak Park/River Forest | 1037 Chicago Ave. Oak Park, IL 60302 | 708.697.5900 | oakpark.bairdwarner.com Source: BrokerMetrics® LLC, 1/1/2019 - 12/ 31/2019Detached and Attached only. Chicagoland PMSA

Special Advertising Section garage galleries

See the work of over 50 artists in 24 garages throughout Forest Park

Saturday, August 28, 2021 2:00 -7:00 pm

August 25, 2021

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garage galleries

August 25, 2021

Surprisingly great rates right around the corner.

Hanson Insurance Agency Inc Mark P Hanson, Agent 7601 Madison Street Forest Park, IL 60130 Bus: 708-689-4035

I’m your one-stop shop for the service you deserve at a price you want. Call me for surprisingly great rates and Good Neighbor service right in your neighborhood.

Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there.® Individual premiums will vary by customer. All applicants subject to State Farm underwriting requirements.

®

Special Advertising Section

Unmask the beauty of The Altenheim...

When faced with a decision to move, consider The Altenheim.

Not just an address but a Destination!

State Farm Bloomington, IL 2001878

Forest Park Arts Alliance is proud to support another year of Garage Galleries Learn more at: ForestParkArtsAlliance.org

A historic property offering apartment living for individuals over 55.

Come for a visit and explore the many advantages of living at The Altenheim SIGN A LEASE WITH US and receive COMPLIMENTARY FIRST MONTH’S RENT Studio Apartments • 1 Bedroom & 2 Bedroom

7824 West Madison Street, Forest Park

708-366-2206

www.thealtenheim.com

garage galleries

Special Advertising Section

Garage Galleries event showcases local artists in garages

O

n Saturday, August 28, 2021 from 2-7 p.m., Forest Park garages will become de facto art galleries at Garage Galleries Forest Park, A Neighborhood Art Walk.

Garage Galleries Forest Park is a free, volunteer-driven neighborhood art walk, coordinated by Lin Beribak, Susan Cross, Andrea DiFebo and Rick Wagner from the Forest Park Arts Alliance. For the 7th year, residents throughout the neighborhoods of Forest Park will host local area artists in their garages to display their work in a casual, familyfriendly, “art reception” atmosphere.

We are pleased to hold the 2021 event with over 50 artists in 24 garages across Forest Park. Each garage hosts several artists in all mediums, including painting, photography, pottery, sculpture, mixed media, and jewelry. Most of the featured artwork will be available for purchase.

Each artist is featured on the Garage Galleries website, tinyurl.com/ garagegalleries, with a photo of their work, description, and links to their websites or social media. “We have a great slate of artists for this year’s event, including many new artists,” states Beribak.

“This free, family-friendly event is open to everyone and is a great way to see terrific art in a casual and welcoming setting,” stated Cross. “Our host garages are incredibly welcoming to the artists, and it’s a wonderful way to explore the neighborhoods of Forest Park,” adds DiFebo.

Attendees are encouraged to visit as many garages as possible, by car, bicycle or on foot. Check out the map of locations and their artists in this section.

August 25, 2021

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2021 Garage Location Map

A list of garage locations and an online Google map is also available at the Garage Galleries website: www.tinyurl.com/GarageGalleries, and printed maps are available at Centuries & Sleuths, 7419 Madison Street, Forest Park.

1. 301 Elgin Avenue

1.

2. 529 Elgin Avenue

2.

3. 418 Thomas Avenue

3.

4. 432 Thomas Ave

4.

5. 446 Thomas Ave

5.

6. 505 Thomas

6.

7. 426 Beloit Avenue

7.

8. 427 Beloit Avenue

8.

9. 505 Ferdinand Avenue

9.

10. 519 Beloit Avenue

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11. 541 Beloit Avenue

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12. 540 Ferdinand Avenue

12

13. 625 Thomas Avenue

13

14. 905 Circle Avenue

14

15. 904 Marengo Avenue

15

16. 1040 Elgin Avenue

16

17. 1047 Hannah Avenue

17

18. 1046 Thomas Avenue

18

19. 1110 Thomas Avenue

19

20. 1120 Beloit Avenue

20

21. 1016 Lathrop Avenue 22. 1026 Lathrop Avenue

2021 Garage Location list and online Google map available at

23. 1230 Marengo Avenue

www.tinyurl.com/GarageGalleries

24. 1302 Marengo Avenue

Smoky Joel’s Hot Dog Cart at 505 Thomas Ave

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garage galleries

August 25, 2021

Nancy Gardner

Nannette Abate

904 Marengo Ave, Forest Park

1040 Elgin Ave, Forest Park

Special Advertising Section

Judy Steed

529 Elgin, Forest Park

Photographs of iconic Chicagoland images adding a unique contemporary edge.

My work is about the beauty of color and pattern, and how beautiful hand made objects can enrich life.

I create my mosaic work using hand cut stained glass.

nannetteabate@gmail.com Instagram@nannette_abate

etsy.com/shop/nancyandburt Instagram@nancygardnerceramics

judysteed51@hotmail.com Facebook@JudySteed

Emily Pfaff

Ian Pfaff

418 Thomas Ave, Forest Park

Bridget Lane

427 Beloit, Forest Park

418 Thomas Ave, Forest Park

Paintings that explore traditional themes through the lens of abstraction.

Art: miniatures, dioramas, paintings, drawings, and robots that don’t work.

EmilyPfaff.com Instagram@emilypfaffpainting

IanPfaff.com

Brenda Merle

505 Thomas Ave, Forest Park

Stoneware including both practical items and whimsical design accents.

Hand-made: beadwork, copper jewelry and beaded art.

blanepotter53.wixsite.com/mysite Facebook@BridgetLanePotter

instagram@dayofvibrancy

Joel Heinz

301 Elgin, Forest Park Unique one of a kind hand built ceramics heinzkepots.blogspot.com Instagram@heinzke

garage galleries

Special Advertising Section

August 25, 2021

Aiyanna Wade

427 Beloit Ave, Forest Park Hand-made polymer clay jewelry and wearable textiles promoting personal growth

Lin Beribak

1230 Marengo, Forest Park

etsy.com/shop/EternallyBloomingArt Instagram@eternallybloomingart Facebook@EternallyBloomingArt

House Portraits, Watercolor Gift Cards and paintings.

LinBeribakArt.com

Gretchen Colavito

Dima Ali

1110 Thomas Ave, Forest Park

301 Elgin Ave, Forest Park Unique jewelry handcrafted locally

Handmade jewelry combining beadweaving, chainmail, macrame, crystals, gemstones, seed beads.

etsy.com/shop/Dimajewelrydesigns Facebook@Dima Jewelry Designs Instagram@Dima Jewelry Designs

Kristy Fleming

301 Elgin Ave, Forest Park Photo-realistic drawings/paintings of people that tell a story. kristyfleming.com Instagram@KFlemingArt

gretchenc.com Instagram@gretchencstudio Facebook@gretchencstudio

Leanne McClurg Cambric

446 Thomas Ave, Forest Park An Exhibition of artists who question The relationship between “form” & “function”. leannemcclurg.com

Rafael “Unca Raffy” Nieves 505 Thomas Ave, Forest Park

Digital prints that celebrate hometown pride and evoke timeless nostalgia rafnieves.com raf_nieves.storenvy.com

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garage galleries

August 25, 2021

Special Advertising Section

Deana Rose

Rob Sall

1120 Beloit Ave, Forest Park Changing perspectives of our planet…one location, one story, one photograph at a time. robsall.com • Facebook@robsallphoto • Instagram@robsallphoto

904 Marengo, Forest Park Timeless, comfortable and easy to wear semiprecious jewelry. deanarose.com • Instagram@deanarosejewelry Facebook@DeanaRoseJewelry

Kiku Handmade

The Wright House

904 Marengo, Forest Park

426 Beloit Ave, Forest Park

Screenprinted, fused glass coasters, magnets, ornaments and more, plus one-of-a-kinds.

Various Artists 75 Pieces Under $75 thewrighthouse.net Facebook@thewrighthouse.net Instagram@thewrighthouseart/

kikuhandmade.com Facebook@kikuhandmade Instagram@kikuhandmade

Bret Juliano

427 Beloit Ave, Forest Park Dust Bunny Mafia, similar to Looney Tunes meets The Godfather! comics.dustbunnymafia.com Instagram@dustbunnymahfia

Cheryl Ann Spran

540 Ferdinand, Forest Park.

Award-winning pastel artist from Oak Park Illinois.

Facebook and Instagram@SpranCherylAnn

garage galleries

Special Advertising Section

August 25, 2021

Alex Ptak

432 Thomas, Forest Park I paint still life, and abstract in oil, on canvas or linen.

Instagram@ptak.alex

Kimberly Adami-Hasegawa 905 Circle, Forest Park

Typewriter greetings adorned with vintage postage kimberlyah.com • Instagram@galaxiesafari Facebook@GalaxieSafari

The Gillian-Baker team is amazing, knowledgeable and prepared. forest park / wheaton

The Gillian Baker Team is invested in the neighborhoods we serve.

Our commitment: to enhance the feeling of Home you get from being part of a community.

We are proud to sponsor this local event! When you are ready to join a fabulous community of your own, contact your friendly GB Team, because no matter where you are, we’ll help you find home.

Jonathan Scianna

519 Beloit Ave, Forest Park The Speed of Light series_ plus past works JonathanScianna.com

facebook.com/thegbteam thegbteam.com thegillianbakerteam

–

seller / buyer

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August 25, 2021

garage galleries

Special Advertising Section

Fair Housing Education & Counseling Apartment Referrals Financial Management Services Rental Education & Counseling

Home Buyer Education & Counseling Foreclosure Prevention & Loan Modifications Industry Professional Partner Referrals COVID-19 Support If you don’t see what you are looking for,

give us a call, we will help you out!